SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KMUV-TV) Although the California Department of Health and Human Services has not declared a statewide public health emergency for monkeypox, concern about the disease is growing and officials have announced actions to address this virus .
At a press conference, the state announced that it expects 72,000 more doses of the monkeypox vaccine. The city of San Francisco had declared a public health emergency on Thursday to have resources and deal with the disease and the more than 200 cases in the city. At the state level, 780 confirmed cases are reported.
There have been no virus-related deaths so far, but there are fears that cases may increase due to a possible new strain of monkeypox circulating in certain areas.
“There is research that suggests that, from a genomic point of view, the virus has changed and may explain why we are seeing more transmission between humans,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, of the California Department of Health.
“It’s too early to know the magnitude of the change, but scientists are working on this very question right now,” added Aragon.
Symptoms of the monkeypox virus include fever, headache, muscle aches, and a rash that may appear as blisters or pimples all over the body.
11 people have been hospitalized for the virus statewide, with hospital stays averaging two days.
multiple counties here on the central coast are reporting cases of the monkeypox virus.
Santa Cruz has the most, with five listings at the moment.
Monterrey has 4 cases of monkeypox according to the state health department.
San Benito County does not have any reported cases and has not received any doses of vaccine so far.
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