CDC to Make Monkeypox Nationally Notifiable Condition

A person arrives to receive a monkeypox vaccination at the Northwell Health Immediate Care Center at Fire Island-Cherry Grove, N.Y., on July 15, 2022. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday it plans to make monkeypox a nationally notifiable condition.

The designation, which is set to take effect on Aug. 1, updates criteria for reporting of data on cases by states to the agency and would allow the agency to monitor and respond to monkeypox even after the current outbreak recedes, the CDC said.

Over 5,000 monkeypox cases were reported in the United States as of Friday, according to the CDC.

States will be required to report confirmed or probable monkeypox cases within 24 hours. The CDC asked for data to be shared even before the investigation of a case was completed.

State health departments are currently not required to provide the federal government with standardized data on monkeypox.

The disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions, has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.