CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is reporting this week another case of monkeypox in a female resident, bringing the state's total female cases to three.
There are also two pediatric cases or cases in people younger than 18. Mecklenburg Public Health previously confirmed at least one pediatric case was in the Charlotte area.
While North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services said it will not release more information on the pediatric cases, it did report the people were "older adolescents" and neither had household exposure.
The cases in females and adolescents are a rarity in the state, which is still reporting a majority of cases in men. According to the NCDHHS dashboard, males make up 99% of the state's cases; 68% of people infected identify as Black or African American. The largest age group impacted are those 30 to 49-years-old. They make up 55% of North Carolina's monkeypox infections.
North Carolina providers continue to vaccinate those who are at-risk. As of Thursday, the state reported having given out 11,420 monkeypox shots.
Mecklenburg Public Health is one of the handful of sites statewide administering the vaccine. It is still reporting a waiting list.
Mecklenburg County also continues to be the epicenter of North Carolina's outbreak, with at least 135 reported to date. That's about 42% of the state's cases and the highest case count for a North Carolina county.
Last month, county health officials reported a cautious optimism over potential slowing in case growth. Statewide data shows a possible flattening in daily cases.
Mecklenburg Public Health still classifies monkeypox risk to the general public as "low." However, it is offering the vaccine to higher-risk adult populations:
- Men who have sex with men, or transgender people, who report one or more of the following in the last 90 days:
- Having multiple or anonymous sex partners
- Being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection
- Receiving HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.