The good news is that the monkeypox virus poses no immediate danger to San Benito County residents. However, the Centers for Disease Control reported that as of July 20 California had 267 detected monkeypox cases, the second highest in the U.S. While a vaccine exists, it is not widely available.
San Benito County epidemiologist Mallory Schmidt said, “There are currently no suspect or confirmed cases of monkeypox reported in San Benito County. However, we do expect to receive suspect monkeypox cases at some point in the future.”
San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency Program Manager Samela Perez said the nearest vaccination sites are operated within Santa Clara County and that individuals must be determined eligible through community partner organizations to create an appointment at these sites.
At a recent Ethnic Media Services press briefing, William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, said, monkeypox is spread “through close personal contact, usually, skin to skin contact among humans.”
Situations that could easily transmit monkeypox include refugee camps, homeless shelters, gyms, concerts and crowded dance clubs.
Schaffner said that transmission occurs by droplets when people are within three feet of each other for an extended time. The virus can be spread through contaminated towels, bed linens or sex toys.
Schmidt said monkeypox is not as contagious as COVID-19 and the risk to the public is very low. Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, fatigue, and the distinctive rash with firm bumps. Incubation for the virus lasts seven to 14 days. Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox is not known to be infectious during its incubation. The rash develops within one to 3 days and lasts for two to four weeks. There have been cases where the rash is the first and only symptom.
Monkeypox was first seen in monkeys in 1958. The first human case of monkeypox occurred in 1970. Until the outbreak this year, monkeypox was considered rare.
Texas A&M University Professor of Biology Ben Neuman said at the press briefing, “It is not something that is scary right now, but It could get out of hand.”
The CDC has reported more than 14,511 monkeypox cases in 44 countries. The agency also detected about 2,108 cases in 43 states, including New York, Florida, Illinois and California.
No deaths have been reported by the CDC in the U.S., but the virus has killed 73 people in Africa, according to CDC Africa.
Neuman said, “The virus has been associated with two kinds of wild animals: the Congo rope squirrel and the Gambian giant pouched rat. As with other viruses that come from rodents, you tend to see increases when there has been a particularly rainy year.”
Neuman added that the virus is related to smallpox, mousepox, camelpox, and cowpox. It was first found in Nigeria, West Africa. Then a second more severe strain was detected in Central Africa.
Schmidt said, “Although you can be infected with monkeypox through contact with certain animals, at this time the primary route for spreading monkeypox in the U.S. is direct person-to-person contact.”
He also said that the virus was first spread among gay and bisexual men at European gay pride events. Specifically in France, Germany, and the Canary Islands. According to the World Health Organization, although monkeypox is endemic to West or Central Africa, the outbreak in 2022 occurred when people with confirmed cases traveled to Europe and North America.
Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale Institute for Global Health Gregg Gonsalves warned against stigmatization and discrimination that can hinder efforts to educate the public about the virus.
Like COVID-19, the test for monkeypox uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The specimen collected for the monkeypox test is collected using a swab on a rash.
CDC guidance on monkeypox focuses on providing accurate symptom information, contact tracing and resources for health providers.
Neuman echoed Schmidt when he said, “I do not believe that we can count on geographic and economic isolation as effective stopgaps in the future.”
The CDC is expanding the number of locations that offer PCR testing for monkeypox. But Schmidt said there is currently no monkeypox testing station in San Benito County and did not say if there were plans to establish one.
But there is a vaccine for preventing monkeypox in people age 18 and up. Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019. It consists of two doses administered four weeks apart. Jynneos is not widely available worldwide.
On July 1, the Department of Health and Human Services ordered 2.5 million doses to be delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile late this year and into 2023. On June 28, Health and Human Services said it would make 56,000 doses of Jynneos available and planned to add 240,000 more. The CDC is sending Jynneos to people at high risk for monkeypox.
The CDC is also investigating the ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine. The agency expanded access to ACAM2000 as an investigational drug protocol against monkeypox. The CDC has 100 million doses of ACAM2000 in stock.
The Strategic National Stockpile also has 1.7 million treatment courses of Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, another smallpox treatment that is also an investigational protocol against monkeypox.
Gonsalves said that in the U.S., “We spend three cents of every health care dollar on public health. It’s a people problem and an infrastructure problem. Hopefully, with COVID, monkeypox, HIV, we would learn the lesson of making a real investment and avoiding this blooming cycle.”
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