The World Health Organization this week declared mpox a global health emergency. While Maryland health officials encourage people to remain vigilant, they have not issued health advisories related to the virus.

Maryland reported its last positive case of mpox, formerly referred to as monkeypox, about a month ago. So far this year, there have been 23 cases, much lower than the hundreds of positive cases seen during an mpox outbreak in the summer of 2022.

The state’s mpox dashboard lists a total 787 positive cases and three deaths from the virus since its initial outbreak in mid-June of 2022. Baltimore City, the most populous jurisdiction in the state, reports 252 positive cases.

Mpox, a virus similar to smallpox, can be spread between people through direct contact with skin lesions, body fluids or contaminated materials, such as clothing or linens. It can also spread through large respiratory droplets, which generally cannot travel more than a few feet, and with face-to-face contact.

Maryland officials urge people to continue to take precautions related to the virus and get vaccinated. As of Thursday, the Maryland Department of Health had not issued any health advisories but asked residents across the state, as well as providers, to remain vigilant.

“We are asking [providers] to be aware, ask about travel and call the health department if you have any suspected cases. We’ve been updating the [local health departments] and the acute and long-term care [inpatient facilities] about this outbreak and will continue doing so,” Chase Cooke, a spokesperson for the MDH, said in an email.

MDH says people can take the following steps to help prevent getting mpox:

• Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with mpox.
• Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with mpox.
• Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with mpox.
• Do not handle or touch bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with mpox.
• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like mpox.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• In Central and West Africa, avoid contact with animals that can spread mpox virus, usually rodents and primates.
• Also, avoid sick or dead animals, and bedding or other materials they have touched.

The state’s health department recommends Marylanders call their local health department to get vaccinated. “Don’t forget — for best protection you need two doses of mpox vaccine 28 days apart,” according their site.

When the World Health Organization first declared mpox as a public health emergency in July 2022, at least 4,600 cases had been reported nationwide — 100 of which were identified in Maryland at the time. Data showed that the concentration of most cases in the state appeared in Baltimore and Prince George’s County.

Medical researchers at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere were part of drug studies to treat mpox as many looked to get vaccinated. By mid-October more than 1,200 Baltimore residents had received at least the first of the two-dose vaccine, that year. To date, a total of 11,243 individuals have been vaccinated across the state.

The WHO’s emergency declaration on Wednesday is meant to spur donor agencies and countries into action because the new strain, as seen in Africa, could cross borders, according to the Associated Press. It comes on the heels of an April report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that said the country failed to properly implement “high-level” response efforts two years ago.

“The GAO report outlined specific recommendations based on lessons learned from the 2022 outbreak, but the U.S. government has not taken crucial steps outlined in the report to protect Americans from another deadlier outbreak,” David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said Wednesday about the report.