The City of Chicago (and County of Cook) has seen a sharp uptick in Clade 1 Mpox cases, this year: 81 in a few months, and rising — with 14 of those, in the last two weeks.

The public outreach — for most at risk, and affected communities — is well-underway. Here’s the latest, from Patrick Filbin:

…Local health officials are urging Chicagoans to get vaccinated against mpox amid a spike in cases.

There have been 81 new cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, reported in Chicago over the past six months — and 90 percent of them have been diagnosed since June 10, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Fourteen new cases were reported Sept. 9-15 alone….

Now you know — and onward, resolutely — on a gray day here.

Smiling — just the same.

नमस्ते