Florida Monkeypox News Today

Florida records its first pediatric monkeypox case. Should parents worry about the disease amid the back-to-school season?

Florida health leaders are tracking 1,317 cases of monkeypox across 28 counties. Florida is the third highest state for confirmed cases.

"You see some of these states declaring states of emergency. They are going to abuse those emergency powers to restrict your freedom. I guarantee you that's what will happen," DeSantis said.

Monkeypox cases continue to rise in Florida, but Governor Ron DeSantis said he will not declare a public health emergency in his state.

Florida's monkeypox cases jump to 525 as of Wednesday, while the global case for the virus was recorded at 25,000.

Orange County has 32 known cases, and the numbers drop substantially for the rest of central Florida.

Health officials are investigating at least 24 cases of meningococcal disease, including seven deaths among gay and bisexual men in Florida.

This past week, the World Health Organization confirmed more than 3,200 cases of monkeypox but stopped short of declaring it a global health emergency.

Monkeypox starts in animals, especially primates, but can jump to people.