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(NEW YORK) — As demand for monkeypox vaccines increases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has begun to receive preliminary reports on the efficacy of the shots, which suggests there are breakthrough cases occurring, officials said Wednesday.

“We have known from the beginning that this vaccine would not be a silver bullet, that it would not meet all the expectations that are being put on it, and that we don’t have firm efficacy data or effectiveness data in this context,” officials said during a press conference.

Some of the reports of breakthrough cases have been among people who received a prophylaxis vaccine after exposure.

“The fact we’re beginning to see some breakthrough cases is also really important information because it tells us that the vaccine is not 100% effective in any given circumstance. Whether preventive or post-exposure, we cannot expect 100% effectiveness at the moment based on this emerging information,” officials said.

This occurrence of breakthrough infections is not new, officials noted, explaining that a limited study from the 1980s demonstrated that the vaccines offered about 85% protection against monkeypox.

“[The] vaccine is not a silver bullet,” officials said, “that every person who feels that they’re at risk and wishes to lower their own level of risk [has] many interventions are at their disposal, which includes vaccinations where available, but also includes protection from activities where there may be a risk — reducing [the] number of sex partners, avoiding group sex or casual sex, and, specifically, when a vaccine is, in fact, administered, waiting until that vaccine has the time to produce a maximum immune response.”

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it would move forward with a plan to increase the U.S. monkeypox vaccine supply by as much as five times, using an injection method that requires less vaccine per shot.

Across the country, federal data shows that more than 634,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine have been shipped to states and jurisdictions as of Aug. 12.

The number of monkeypox cases identified across the globe continues to grow, with the total jumping by 20% in the last week, according to the WHO.

Globally, more than 38,000 cases of monkeypox have now been confirmed, according to the CDC, including more than 13,500 cases in the U.S.

The majority of cases, in the current monkeypox outbreak, have been detected in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. However, health officials have repeatedly stressed that anyone can contract the virus.

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(NEW YORK) — A child in Oregon has tested positive for monkeypox, state health officials announced Wednesday, marking the ninth reported pediatric case in the U.S.

“We have a known connection to a previously diagnosed case,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer and state epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority, said in a press release. “This child did not get the virus at school, child care or another community setting.”

The case has been linked to an adult monkeypox infection that was confirmed last month, officials said, adding that public health authorities received the positive test result on Aug. 15.

Health officials have initiated a case investigation and are conducting contact tracing to determine potential exposures. No additional information on the case will be disclosed at this time, due to patient privacy.

A total of 116 presumptive and confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in Oregon, including 112 men and four women.

In total, at least 7 U.S. states and jurisdictions have reported pediatric monkeypox cases.

Earlier this week, health officials in Harris County, Texas, confirmed to ABC News that a presumptive case had been identified in a child under the age of 2.

Officials reported the child has been completely asymptomatic, according to the child’s parents, with no other symptoms other than a residual rash. The child is expected to make a full recovery, and is doing “very, very well,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“I understand that it’s a very scary thing, and parents have concerns, and what we need to make sure is to be vigilant and understand the risks, not assume the worst. But this reminds us that this is very real,” Hidalgo said.

The family has also been fully cooperative, and is assisting with contact tracing, though the child has not been in any day care or school settings. Thus far, no one else in the child’s circle has been identified as positive for monkeypox, according to officials.

How this child contracted monkeypox is still unknown, Hidalgo said.

“I understand this is a very, very worrisome for parents, especially as school is starting back up knowing that a child in our community has now contracted or as a presumptive positive for the monkey pox virus. It opens up a lot of questions about how this is spread. It makes people very worried. It makes things very tangible,” Hidalgo added.

Although this is indeed a “rare” case, Hidalgo noted that “we always knew that any person in this community can contract monkeypox. We knew that it was possible for a child to be exposed. Anyone can get this virus, so this isn’t entirely unexpected.”

The news of the positive pediatric case in Texas comes after a child in Martin County, Florida, tested positive for monkeypox, according to state health data. The child in Florida is between the ages of 0 and 4 years old, according to the state health data.

Officials in Maine also announced Friday that they, too, had confirmed a positive monkeypox case in a child. No further information about the case has been released due to concerns over patient privacy, officials said.

“Maine CDC [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] is working to identify any others who may have been exposed and make vaccination available to close contacts,” officials wrote in a press release.

In addition to the cases in children reported in Maine and Florida, two cases have been confirmed in California, as well another two in Indiana, and a case in a non-U.S. resident reported in Washington, D.C.

The majority of cases in the current monkeypox outbreak have been detected in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. However, health officials have repeatedly stressed that anyone can contract the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously warned that there has been some preliminary evidence to suggest that children younger than 8 years old are at risk of developing more severe illness if infected, alongside pregnant people and those who are immunocompromised.

However, last week, in an effort to protect the youngest Americans, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization that allows health care for children under 18 who are at high risk of monkeypox to be vaccinated.

Across the globe, nearly 32,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported, including nearly 12,000 cases in the U.S. — the most of any country, according to the CDC. All but one U.S. state — Wyoming — have now confirmed at least one positive monkeypox case.

Monkeypox primarily spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with infected people’s lesions or bodily fluids, according to the CDC. In addition to lesions, which can appear like pimples or blisters, the most common symptoms associated with monkeypox are swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches.

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(ATLANTA) — A scathing review of how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handled COVID-19 has found that its approach toward the pandemic failed to meet the moment of crisis, and offered a series of changes intended to revamp the agency and make it more nimble.

“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement on Wednesday.

A fact sheet outlining the review, obtained by ABC News and confirmed by the CDC, said that the “need for change came through loud and clear.”

Walensky ordered the review in April after the CDC had come under frequent fire for its muddled and inconsistent messaging on COVID mitigation measures.

During interviews with roughly 120 agency staff and key external stakeholders, the review found that it “takes too long for CDC to publish its data and science for decision making,” that its guidance is “confusing and overwhelming” and that agency staff turnover during the COVID response “created gaps and other challenges for partners,” according to findings obtained by ABC News.

And while Walensky also defended, in part, the overwhelming job of handling the pandemic, the center said the country’s public health infrastructure is “frail.” The review also revealed the CDC’s “operating posture” was “not adequate to effectively respond to a crisis the size and scope” of COVID.

The CDC’s goals going forward will focus on improving “accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness” within and outside the agency, the report said.

“As a long-time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better and it starts with CDC leading the way,” Walensky said in a statement.

As part of the suggested solutions, Walensky committed to sharing scientific findings and data faster, rather than at the typical speed for academic publication.

“Produce data for action” rather than “data for publication,” said a CDC briefing document summarizing the changes.

The new recommendations also put a large emphasis on improving public health communications to the American people. “The website is not easy to navigate,” the document said.

To spearhead the next steps towards the agency’s overhaul, Walensky intends to appoint former Obama administration Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Mary Wakefield to oversee the shift and “help implement the vision.”

The review also outlines plans to create a new executive council reporting to Walensky, which will “determine agency priorities, track progress, and align budget decisions, with a bias toward public health impact.”

Walensky did not provide a timeline for the changes, but said she will provide regular updates internally.

“None of these challenges happened overnight,” CDC said in a statement. “The work ahead will take time and engagement at all levels of the organization.”

ABC News’ Eric M. Strauss contributed to this report.

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