United States now accounts for a third of all monkeypox cases

Monkeypox cases could be about to get much worse, according to experts

The United States now accounts for a third of all global monkeypox cases.

The latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the US now has 34 per cent of the 39,434 worldwide cases, despite only having four per cent of the world’s population.

Monkeypox has spread rapidly since the first cases of the current outbreak were detected in May.

The infectious disease is spread through contact with blood or bodily fluids, and symptoms include fever, headaches, swellings, back pain and aching muscles. Dark lesions often appear on patients’ faces and hands.

Most reported cases from the current outbreak have been reported in gay and bisexual men.

The Biden administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency earlier this month in an effort to slow the growing outbreak.

But it has faced intense criticism for acting too slowly to contain the outbreak.

A patient is vaccinated against monkeypox at the vaccination site in Obregon Park, Los Angeles, California, this week (EPA)

This week, Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness said the federal government’s “botched” response had been “fueled by homophobia and transphobia”.

Writing for Time, Van Ness said the approach was influenced by the fact that the outbreak has primarily affected LGBTQ men.

“When an outbreak affects mainly men who have sex with men, some portion of our elected legislators will have no incentive to act,” Van Ness wrote.

“They think it will not touch their constituents, which is obviously messed up because people’s lives are at stake, and there are queer people in all 50 states.”

Infectious disease expert Rebecca S.B. Fischer, a professor at Texas A&M University, told Newsweek the epidemic had not been controlled and warned cases would only increase from here.

“Monkeypox can have a long incubation period, which is the timeframe from infection to when symptoms appear and is also about the time someone realizes they may have been exposed and seeks testing,” Ms Fischer told Newsweek.