Health officials talk on monkeypox vaccines amid cases discovered in Ala., Ga.

COLUMBU.S., Ga. (WTVM) - Monkeypox made its way to the U.S. almost two months ago. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates over 1,400 cases across the county.

“These are non-endemic cases. You’re talking about 11,000 throughout the world. The one thousand in the United States is probably another an under count,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

In Columbus, Pam Kirkland at the Columbus Health Department says there are zero cases in the Fountain City.

“At this point, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. We only have about 90 cases in Georgia, and those are all in the metro-Atlanta area,” said Kirkland.

But, the same can’t be said for Alabama.

On Friday, health officials confirmed the state’s first case of the virus and say many more are expected. The virus is spread through close or intimate contact.

If infected, you can get a fever or rash that looks like pimples or blisters on the face. They’ll be inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.

On Thursday, Dr. Fauci joined the discussion saying the worldwide health crisis we are seeing is unusual.

“We should be, and will be, testing literally ten times the amount of people that we were testing prior,” said Dr. Fauci.

Vaccines are available to treat the illness. Friday, Georgia received 3,000 doses, enough for 1,500 people. However, the vaccine is currently only being distributed in high-risk counties like Metro Atlanta.

There is no need to get the vaccine if you’re not experiencing any symptoms.

The Columbus Health Department does not have the vaccines yet. However, U.S. health officials say allocations of the vaccine from the federal government will increase as production ramps up.

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