Two people in Worcester were diagnosed with mpox, formerly known as monkeypox , as the state’s Department of Health warns providers there’s been a concerning uptick of the virus in Massachusetts this fall.

Dr. Michael P. Hirsh, Worcester’s medical director, raised concerns for the city’s homelessness population after the Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a clinical advisory at the end of October due to the “concerning trend.”

As of Dec. 1, there’s been 51 confirmed cases in Massachusetts this year, DPH said Thursday, with 37 of those cases occurring between Aug. 1 and December.

Hirsh, who also works at the UMass Chan Medical School, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that the patients confirmed in Worcester were two women who are both homeless and both sex work

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