Health officials talk monkeypox
Monkeypox confirmed cases have been reported since May. The virus is compared to smallpox but is less severe and can be transmitted human to human via bodily fluids, lesions on the skin, respiratory droplets and contaminated objects, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Eduardo Olivarez, chief administrative officer for Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, said the Rio Grande Valley has zero confirmed cases as of last Tuesday.
Olivarez said cases related to monkeypox could increase if the public is not taking precautions.
Because the virus can be transmitted via intimate relations, he said it is important for people to be aware of who their partners are.
“[Monkeypox] is transmitted primarily that way,” Olivarez said. “However, it can be transmitted by being in physical contact with a person who’s infected, primarily with the sores or the pustules that will develop are infectious until they scab over. Once they scab over, there is no longer infection. So, it is very much a physical contact type of illness.”
An email sent by the UTRGV Infectious Committee last Wednesday stated if you have flu-like symptoms and develop a rash, you should isolate at home and contact your health care provider or clinic.
“If you must go out, wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, cover your sores with bandages, and try to keep a distance from others,” the UTRGV Infectious Committee wrote.
The illness typically lasts two to four weeks and “symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Vaccines are only available to individuals who have come in close contact with a confirmed case. Olivarez said an investigation would take place to be able to recommend the vaccine.
“Here’s the difficulty in it, [the] vaccination is most effective within the first four days of exposure,” he said. “So it is extremely important that we find out through the public health model and working with our local physicians and hospitals, the second that they have a positive, confirmed case, that we immediately start investigation and doing our contact tracing to determine who would be the best eligible for a vaccination.”
The Texas Department of State Health Services has shipped doses of the monkeypox vaccine to counties across the state, and could arrive as early as next week, according to a Cameron County Public Health news release.
In its email, the UTRGV Infectious Committee wrote that the university is prepared for the virus by being in sync with local health departments and all UT Health RGV clinical locations to support campus community members in need of medical care.
“Additionally, the university is developing a monkeypox test, and we expect to begin testing soon. Until then, we have access to testing through an outside reference lab, if needed,” the UTRGV Infectious Committee wrote.
The university will issue guidance to student athletes and those who live on campus to manage risks.
Esmeralda Guajardo, Cameron County health administrator, said the county has started taking measures in terms of education for providers and the public.
Guajardo said one of the concerns for Cameron County is sports because the main way of transmitting the virus is through physical contact.
“We’re working with school nurses to educate them on, of course, the [symptomology] of monkeypox and then the transmission and what they can do to prevent [the spread],” Guajardo said. “And again, just like [COVID-19], a lot of it does come down to hygiene and keeping distance from others.”
She said the county is planning to put a dashboard with updated numbers on its website as it does for COVID-19.
“As soon as we find out that there is a confirmed case, we will share the information or be as transparent as possible,” Guajardo said. “And we just hope that the public does take the preventive measures that public health recommends to be able to keep themselves in a position where they don’t get exposed.”
To stay informed on the virus, visit the CDCs website at About Monkeypox – Poxvirus or the WHO at Monkeypox.
