Monkeypox Hits Two Florida Counties Hardest, Data Show

A 1971 photo from the Center For Disease Control handout shows monkeypox-like lesions on the arm and leg of a female child in Bondua, Liberia. CDC/Getty Images

Two Florida counties have been hardest hit by monkeypox, data shows.

Since Jan. 1, data from the Florida Department of Health shows that 43 of Florida’s 67 counties have reported cases of monkeypox. While the majority of Florida’s counties have either reported relatively few cases (37) or no cases at all (24), Miami-Dade and Broward have been hit the hardest.

Chart showing monkeypox cases per county in Florida between Jan. 1, 2022, and Nov. 13, 2022. Florida Department of Health

While the majority of Florida’s counties reported between one and 67 cases, Miami-Dade reported 873 reported cases. Broward County reported 698 cases. Other Florida counties reporting in triple-digits are Orange (287) Hillsborough (224), Pinellas (159), and Palm Beach (118).

In Miami-Dade, 659 of the 698 cases were reported to have been acquired in Florida. Five cases were acquired in the United States but not in Florida, while 62 cases were reported to have been acquired outside of the United States. The origins of 41 cases remain unknown. The highest number of cases, (180) was reported among those between the ages of 30–34.

In Broward, the highest number of cases (588) were acquired in Florida. There were 12 cases reported to have been acquired in the United States but not in Florida while 19 cases were reported to have been acquired outside of the United States. The location of acquisition for 75 cases is unknown. The highest number of cases, (126) was also reported among those between the ages of 30–34.

Of Orange County’s 287 cases, 209 were reported to have been acquired in Florida while two were acquired in the United States but not in Florida. Again, the highest number of cases, (68) was reported among those between the ages of 30–34.

Chart showing monkeypox cases by County in Florida between Jan. 1, 2022, and Nov. 13, 2022. Florida Department of Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox but are much milder and rarely fatal. Florida ranks fourth nationally with 2,764 reported cases of monkeypox. California with 5,547 reported cases, ranks first. New York, with 4,134 cases, ranks second, while Texas ranks third with 2,771 cases.

In October, the CDC issued a warning that—while anyone can get monkeypox through specific behaviors, regardless of sexual behaviors and lifestyles—data was conclusive in showing that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men by far make up most cases.

In August, Dr. Syed Haider told The Epoch Times, “We’ve never had a variant of monkeypox that primarily spreads between gay men.”

Haider also said some signs that indicate the current strain of monkeypox was engineered.

Because the monkeypox virus mutates very slowly, and the last known precursor to this variant is so different, Haider said the current variant could not have happened naturally.

While it isn’t “proof” or considered to be the proverbial “smoking gun,” Haider said it is very suspicious and that there is “concern that this is also a bioweapon or some sort of bioterrorism event that’s unfolding.”