Mpox spread has slowed drastically in Maryland, across the country

The spread of the mpox virus — which increased rapidly across the country between June and July, only to start dropping later in the summer — has slowed to a sluggish crawl. The World Health Organization renamed the virus to mpox in November to reduce stigma and other problems associated with its former name, monkeypox. Only five new cases of the virus were reported nationwide on Dec. 21, the last day for which data was available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three-fourths of the 738 cases that have been reported in Maryland since the start of the outbreak are from three jurisdictions: Baltimore City, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. Most counties in the state, including Frederick County, never reported more than 10 cases of the virus.