Top takeaways

Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox is not a new disease, and it’s not as transmissible. But officials are running into some of the same hurdles in combating monkeypox they faced at the start of the pandemic.

For example, testing for monkeypox was initially difficult in the U.S. because laboratories were not equipped for it. Today, only about 10% of the U.S. testing capacity is being used, said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Identifying cases of monkeypox through testing and then contact tracing is key to stopping community spread, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Vaccines also are an important strategy, he said when declaring a global emergency.