Cases Among Cambridge Residents
Date | Count | |
May 2022 | 0 | |
June 2022 | 0 | |
July 2022 | <5 | |
August 2022 | 5-10 | |
September 2022 | <5 | |
October 2022 | 0 | |
November 2022 | 0 | |
Cumulative Case Total from May–October 2022 | 5–10 cases |
Notes:
How Cambridge Cases Are Reported: As with all reportable diseases in Massachusetts, doctors’ offices, laboratories, and hospitals must report positive test results to the state health department. Cases results are recorded in the state’s Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network (MAVEN) database and the Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) receives electronic notification of positive test results for Cambridge residents.
Data Sharing with the Public and Privacy Concerns: CPHD does not disclose to the public exact case counts for any reportable disease when the number is under 5. When case counts for a reportable disease during a specified time period are 5 or greater, it is up to the discretion of CPHD about how to disclose this information to the public. The department must always balance the benefit of sharing case data with the community against the risk of harm to individuals should they be identified inadvertently through a public disclosure.
There are a small number of mpox cases among Cambridge residents at this time. CPHD believes there is a likelihood that a case could be identified by family, friends or acquaintances based on even a limited disclosure, such as reporting cases by date. For this reason, CPHD will use ranges (e.g, 5-10, 11-20, 21-30) when reporting cases, and cases will be reported monthly at the end of each month.
Updated: December 6, 2022