The Long Beach Health Department has announced its first suspected case of monkeypox.
Additional testing will be done at the CDC to confirm monkeypox infection. Preliminary test results indicate the person tested positive for orthopoxvirus.
In an effort to limit the number of additional cases, the Long Beach Health Department will conduct extensive contact tracing and offer vaccinations to people who may have been exposed.
City officials confirm the person is a Long Beach resident who has no recent travel history or known contacts.
They are symptomatic and self-isolating at home while they recover.
“Our Health Department is taking monkeypox very seriously and is working diligently to vaccinate those most at risk, understanding that the vaccine is currently in extremely limited supply,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, in a statement.
Monkeypox vaccines remain limited, but city officials will continue to follow Los Angeles County guidelines on who is eligible to receive the vaccine.
There are vaccines and antivirals that can be given to help reduce the severity of the disease and prevent it, such as the JYNNEOS vaccine.
Monkeypox is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. It is rarely fatal. Symptoms are similar to smallpox, but milder. Monkeypox symptoms generally include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. Sometimes a rash that may look like pimples or blisters appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body.
People with monkeypox are infectious and should be isolated until the rash resolves. People who have symptoms should call their health care provider, who will determine the need for testing. Those without a health care provider and experiencing symptoms can contact the City of Long Beach Public Health Information Line at 562-570-7907.
As of July 15, more than 12,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide, including 1,814 cases in the US, 250 in California, and 85 in Los Angeles County. While people of any gender and sexual orientation can get and spread monkeypox, most cases have occurred among men who have sex with men and transgender women.
The city health department currently offers the vaccine to people who:
have been exposed to someone with confirmed monkeypox and have no symptoms;
have been exposed through that specific person will be contacted by the health department;
having established care in specialist clinics (ie STD or HIV clinics) where there was a high risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox;
are gay and bisexual men or transgender people with a diagnosis of rectal gonorrhea or early syphilis in the past three months and have a medical referral or test positive.
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