Monkeypox cases continue to rise in the Austin area, even as local COVID-19 cases have seen a slight decline, according to health care officials.
There are now nine confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases of monkeypox in the Austin area. A confirmed case is one that has been verified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while a suspected case is a person who has tested positive but has not been confirmed by the CDC.
Confirmed cases have remained the same for the third week, pending confirmation from the CDC, but presumptive cases have increased from nine to 46 in recent weeks.
Austin Public Health officials say they expect those numbers to rise. The agency has 60 tests it is awaiting results from and 256 people it is monitoring because they have been exposed. Of the tests he submitted, 80% came back positive, said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority.
There have been 6,616 cases of monkeypox in the United States and 527 in Texas, but CDC officials say the number of cases is likely underreported.
Austin-area health officials hosted a virtual roundtable on Friday to provide information on monkeypox. The event was organized by Central Health and can be viewed at Central Health Facebook page.
“This is something we don’t have to react to,” said Adrienne Sturrup, director of Austin Public Health. “We have the advantage.”
He pointed out what Travis County was able to do to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 compared to other major cities. “Let’s take that same power. Let’s have the talks,” Sturrup said.
“There’s a lot of fear about monkeypox,” said Dr. Aliza Norwood of Vivent Health. “This information is not being disseminated as widely as we would like, and there is a lot of misinformation.”
How can monkeypox spread?
Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox usually requires prolonged physical contact with a person to spread, rather than being spread through the air.
“Over 99% of cases have been seen through prolonged physical contact,” Norwood said, such as hugging, kissing or sexual intercourse.
Monkeypox has been around for about 50 years, but experts don’t know why it has spread around the world instead of staying in Africa, where it is usually found. “We are still learning about this disease,” Norwood said.
Monkeypox is spread in these ways:
- Direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids.
- Respiratory secretions with face-to-face contact during activities such as kissing, caressing, or sex.
- Touching items such as clothing or bedding that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids.
- Pregnant women can transmit the virus to the fetus through the placenta.
The outbreak has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, but anyone can get it. This monkeypox outbreak has reminded providers of what happened when HIV and the stigma around it began.
“We will do everything we can to avoid stigma in the future,” Walkes said.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Muscle aches and back pain.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Shaking chills.
- Exhaustion.
- A rash that may look like pimples or blisters. It can be on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
The good news with monkeypox is that most people get a less severe form of the disease, medical experts say.
The West African version, which is what we have in the United States, “is a really mild, self-limited disease,” said Dr. Kristin Mondy, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Dell Medical School. .
With the West African version, there is less than 1% mortality, he said.
However, the disease can be very painful. Some people locally have had to be hospitalized for pain control, Walkes said.
People at risk for severe cases of the disease include:
- People who are already immunocompromised. This includes people who have HIV.
- Children under 8 years old. (In the US there have been two pediatric cases.)
- Pregnant women can transmit the disease to their fetuses and are at risk of miscarriage.
- People who have the disease touch their rash and then touch other areas of their body. They could create multiple eruption sites.
With the start of school, parents and children should not be afraid of getting monkeypox by playing sports or going to school.
“We need to allow our children to be children,” Walkes said. She is urging people to test themselves. If you have a fever, stay home. If they develop a rash, stay home and call your doctor.
Get vaccinated or tested for monkeypox
There is a vaccine for monkeypox. As of last week, Austin Public Health had 3,000 doses of the two-dose vaccine and continues to order more. It is prioritizing those doses for people who have been in contact with someone infected with monkeypox in the past 14 days or someone who has multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days with people in and around a high-case area. Individuals can call the Austin Public Health Equity Line, 512-972-5560, for information on vaccinations.
With the White House declaring monkeypox a public health emergency, more resources will be available, including more doses of vaccine. However, the vaccine is manufactured in Denmark and larger shipments are not expected to arrive in the US until September, Sturrup said.
If needed, Sturrup said, Austin Public Health may set up testing sites and vaccination sites as more doses of vaccine become available. However, the tests will not be like nasal swabs for COVID-19.
Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox, so the chickenpox vaccine will not give you protection against monkeypox.
The course of monkeypox
Monkeypox can take up to 21 days before symptoms appear, the CDC said. Other symptoms, such as a fever, usually occur before the rash appears a day or two later.
If you need a monkeypox test, you can call that same equity line or see a health care provider. You can only get tested if you have a rash because the test involves taking a sample from a sore.
While you wait for the test results, you should isolate yourself, including from other people in your household. She should wear a mask and wash her own clothes, if possible. You should use a separate bathroom if possible or clean it between uses. It should be isolated from pets because it can spread to pets.
If you test positive for monkeypox, you can be contagious for two to four weeks, according to the CDC.
“This can be very isolating,” said Dr. Michael C. Stefanowicz of CommUnityCare, who has been treating people with the disease.
What you need to know about monkeypox:Cases Rise in Austin Area; health officials ask the community to help fight the spread
COVID-19 decreasing slightly
Travis, Williamson and Bastrop counties continue to be in the medium level of spread of COVID-19, according to the CDC. Caldwell and Hays counties have now returned to the mid tier after spending July in the high tier. The difference between the two groups of counties has not been a large difference in the rate of transmission (number of cases per 100,000 people); has been the number of new patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by people with COVID-19.
In Travis County this week, the transmission rate fell from 265.16 to 249.62. In Williamson County, the transmission rate dropped to 297.69 from 331.55. In Bastrop County, the transmission rate is now 344.89, up from 304.32 last week.
In Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, new hospital admissions with COVID-19 per 100,000 people fell from 9.7 to 9.4 and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by people with COVID-19 fell from 5, 3% to 4.6%. If the new admission rate reaches 10 or the percentage of beds exceeds 10%, these counties would be considered to be in the high transmission rate.
In Caldwell and Hays counties, the number of new hospital admissions with COVID-19 fell to 9.5 from 13.5 per 100,000 people last week, but the percentage of staffed hospital beds in use by COVID-19 patients increased to 9.7% from 8.6% . That new number of admissions is what brought these counties back to the middle tier.
The transmission rate in Hays County was 379.68, down from 394.02 last week. In Caldwell County, the transmission rate was 480.95, up from 476.35 last week.
County transmission rates count only cases that have been registered through clinics, pharmacies and health departments, not cases confirmed by home tests.