Dear SMFM Member:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are less than 10 cases of monkeypox in the United States. To date, these cases are presenting mostly in men in an atypical fashion with genital lesions. While there are no reports of monkeypox in pregnant people, a woman of reproductive age has contracted monkeypox and the case count is expected to increase.
The CDC has issued a series of resources to help you identify, treat, and report monkeypox in your patients. They advise:
- If you identify patients with a rash that looks like monkeypox, consider monkeypox, regardless of whether the patient has a travel history to central or west African countries.
- Do not limit concerns to men who report having sex with other men. Those who have any sort of close personal contact with people with monkeypox could potentially also be at risk for the disease.
- Some patients have had genital lesions and the rash may be hard to distinguish from syphilis, herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, chancroid, varicella zoster, and other more common infections.
- Isolate any patients suspected of having monkeypox in a negative pressure room, and ensure staff understand the importance of wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and that they wear it each time they are near suspected cases.
- Consult the state health department or CDC’s monkeypox call center through the CDC Emergency Operations Center (770-488-7100) as soon as monkeypox is suspected.
An antiviral treatment is recommended for pregnant persons with monkeypox and requires that providers work with their state health officials to obtain the treatment through the Strategic National Stockpile.
