TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Austin Public Health released weekly case numbers on monkeypox cases for the Austin-Travis County area.
As of July 21, APH reported that there are nine confirmed cases on monkeypox and 20 presumptive cases. In Texas, there are a total of 107 cases as of July 22, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
APH is currently able to vaccinate those who have been identified as close contacts to presumptive and confirmed monkeypox cases. That's in accordance with guidance from the Texas Department of State Health Services and the CDC.
U.S. health officials said last week that more than 100,000 vaccine doses would be sent out to states, with millions more on order in the months ahead. APH previously said that it would scale up vaccinations once enough shots were available.
As cases have continued to rise across the globe, the World Health Organization on Saturday declared the outbreak a global emergency. That is WHO's highest alert level and mostly serves as a plea to draw attention and resources to the outbreak in an effort to stop the spread.
The virus can be transmitted by person-to-person contact including:
- Direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs or body fluids
- Respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact
- Touching fabrics and objects that were used by a person with monkeypox and that have not been disinfected such as bedding, towels and other personal items
- Pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body, like the hands/palms, feet, chest or genitals. The rash goes through different stages before healing completely
Monkeypox typically lasts two to four weeks. To prevent infection with monkeypox, residents can:
- Minimize skin-to-skin contact, especially if a person has been exposed to the virus, is showing a rash or has skin sores
- Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that have been in contact with monkeypox
- Practice good hand hygiene
- Use personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for people infected with monkeypox
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