The World Health Organization has declared the current monkeypox outbreak as a "public health emergency of global concern," and that includes Florida, where monkeypox cases gave been on the rise across the state.

Officials with the Department of Health in Orange County say they are staying on top of the issue, and while experts say there is no reason to panic, they also urge people to stay aware of what is going on and be educated about the transmission of the disease.

Dr. Asim Jani, medical director with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said his office has also requested additional vaccines and testing resources to address the spike in U.S. cases, 10% of which were detected in Florida. 

However, some Central Florida residents say they are concerned because they can't get a vaccine despite being high risk. 

At this point, experts say being high risk is not enough. Health officials in Orange County say they have enough vaccine doses for everyone who currently qualifies, which only includes people who have been in close contact with someone confirmed to have contracted monkeypox. 

“However, close contacts of those individuals, we should obviously be identified and offered the vaccine because in we know that if people have, within four days four to five days of the most recent exposure, if they get the vaccine, the vaccine can actually prevent potentially getting the disease," Jani said."If, in fact, from about day five to up to two weeks after the exposure, people get the vaccine a little bit later in the course, they can still benefit because it might reduce the severity of their symptoms and and change that pattern."

Right now Jani said Orange County is acting as a distribution hub in Central Florida for vaccines and they have enough to take care of those exposed to the current cases and cases that emerge down the road.

He said the federal government's stockpile of vaccines is robust the the Department of Health is working to secure more. 

The general risk of someone in the general population contracting monkeypox is low, Jani said. But it is important to stay aware, he said, because it is very likely the number of monkeypox cases will continue to increase before things get any better.

People seeking information about monkeypox can contact the Department of Health in Orange County at 407-723-5004​.