>> AWFUL LOT OF 90'S. MARIA: 5 ON YOUR HEALTH NOW. THE MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK IN THE U.S. IS NOW THE FOCUS OF A NEW NATIONAL DIRECTOR COORDINATING THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO A RISING NUMBER OF CASES. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. NICE SEE YOU, DOCTOR. 1:00 ED: GREET SEE. CALIFORNIA, ILLINOIS, AND NEW YORK EACH DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR MONKEYPOX WITHIN THE PAST WEEK. THE MOVE MAKES IT EASIER FOR HEALTH OFFICIALS TO ACCESS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR VACCINATIONS. HOW DOES OUR SITUATION IN MASSACHUSETTS COMPARE? >> WELL, WE ARE SEEING MONKEYPOX SPREADER THAN WORLD, RIGHT. 80 COUNTRIES. 16,000 CASE GLOBALLY. 6, 000 IN UNITED STATES. WE HAD MANY IN MASSACHUSETTSS OVER 100. THEN, I WILL GIVE YOU AN EX AL. WE HAD A CASE IN OUR SYSTEM A FEW DAS AGO OVER THE WEEKEND THEN, OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PROHE VIDE REMEMBERS MADE THE DIAGNOSIS WHICH WAS EXCELLENT. GOT THE SAMPLE OF THE PATIENT. TO THE STATE LAB. THE STATE LAB TURNED IT AROUND. THEN, A POSITIVE RESULT WAS GIVEN WITHIN TWO DAYS THEN THE PATIENT HAS STARTED TREATMENT TODAY. AGAIN, WITH SIGNIFICANT HELP FROM OUR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH. I THINK WE ARE DOING EXCELLENT JOB, BUT, THE CERTAINLY NEEDS MAJOR CORD MATION, NOT ZINC U.S., BUT GLOBALLY, INCREASED TEST, INCREASED VACCINATION. INCREASED TREATMENT. >> AS YOU KNOW, MONKEYPOX IS NOT SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED BUILT IS SPREAD BY CLOSE CONTACT. SO FAR MOST OF THE CASE IN THE OUTBREAK DO INVOLVE MEN WHO HAVE SEX OTHER MEN. YOU HAVE SEEN EVIDENCE GREAT THE RY VUS IS SPREADING TO OTHER GROUPS? >> Reporter: SO MARIE YASH IT IS IMPORTANT QUESTION. WE CAN ARGUING ABOUT THE SY MAN TK OF WHAT WE CALL THIS. THE "NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE" DID THE LEAST SERIES OF OVER 500 CINEMAS WITH MONKEYPOX AND AROUND THE GLOBE. THEN, 95% OF THOUGH PATIENCE WERE SEXLY TRANSMITTED BUT THAT MEANS 5% WERE NOT. 98% WERE MSM AND 2% MORE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT MONKEYPOX CAN AFFECT ANN ONE THROUGH CLOSE CONTACT AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WE DON'T GANT TO MAKE THE MISTAKE WE MADE EARLY ON WITH HIV WHERE WE SIGMA TIZE AND THOUGHT IT WAS CERTAIN TYPE THAT GOT THIS THEN THAT REALLY PUT VULNERABLE WOMEN AND HETEROSEXUAL MEN AND BROWN AND BLACK WOMEN THEY MADE THEM MORE VULNERABLE ANOANYONE IS COULD BE AFFECTED NI BUT IT IS PREDOMINANTLY BEING SPREAD NOW IN THE GAY COME IN THIS. DOUG: ED: THIS FIRST ONE FROM MATH. A. THE FIRST ONE IS FROM ANNIE. "ARE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED THE SMALLPOX VACCINE 'BACK IN THE DAY' ALSO PROTECTED FROM MONKEYPOX?" >> I CAN'T BLOB YOU ARE THAT OLD YOU RECEIVED A SMALLPOX CACH VACCINE. JUST KIDDING. I DID, TOO, AS A MATTER OF FAG. THE ANSWER IS YES. THE SMALL VACCINE THAT MANY OF US GOT WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER. THATS DO LEAD TO SOME PROTECTION AGAINST MONKEYPOX THE QUESTION IS NOW HOW MUCH RESIDUAL MIN TIE DO WE HAVE THEM ANSWER IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR. WE'LL LEARN THIS OVER TIME. MARIA: HERE'S ANOTHER ONE --- THIS TIME FROM CHRIS. "WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR MONKEYPOX?" IT IS WITH A DRUG CALLED T POX. AND IT IS ANTIVIRAL. IT ACTUALLY INHIBITS ONE OF THE PROTEINS ON THE MONKEYPOX ENVELOPE SO IT DOESN'T ALLOW THE VIRUS TO BREAK OUT OF ONE CELL AND IN FEK ANOTHER. SO IT PRESENTS RELEASE OF THE MONKEYPOX VIRUS SO IT CAN'T GET FROM CELL TO CELL SOON FAR IT IS VERY WELL TOLERATED IT IS GENERAL LAY TWO-WEEK COURSE MOST MAINTAIN CAN GET IT. IT IS A PILL. YOU TAKE IT TWICE A DAY. THEN AMANDA, YOU KNOW, OVERALL WELL TOLERATED THEN LOOKS SAFE. ED