Amid an increase in mpox cases, health officials and care providers are urging Chicago residents to be vaccinated against the virus.

There have been 67 reported cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in Chicago in the past three months, according to data from the city’s public health department. Three dozen cases were diagnosed last month, an 80 percent increase over July, the department says.

Dr. Andrew Crone, a physician at Howard Brown Health who specializes in infectious diseases, said he started noticing the uptick in mpox cases in mid-July.

For those concerned about the virus, Crone said the two-dose vaccine remains the most effective preventive measure.

Though the recent surge has not risen to the level of the 2022 outbreak, when infections topped a thousand in Chicago amid

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