2 monkeypox cases confirmed in Worcester; no cause for alarm, health chief Castiel says
WORCESTER — With two confirmed cases of monkeypox in the city and 134 across the commonwealth, Dr. Matilde Castiel said that people should not be worried about the virus.
Castiel, Worcester's commissioner of Health and Human Services, confirmed the number of cases Wednesday and said that monkeypox is different from COVID-19, as there have been zero deaths from the rash, while millions have died from the coronavirus.
"That, to me, is certainly a public health crisis that we've had with this pandemic," Castiel said. "I don't want to alarm our community about this. I think we need to note that it's there. I think we need to be able to be cautious about it."
With more than 6,000 confirmed monkeypox cases across the United States, some states, such as Illinois and California, have declared a state of emergency after the rapid spread of the virus.
On Thursday, the Biden administration was expected to declare monkeypox a national public health emergency, according to the Associated Press.
Prior to Thursday's announcement, Castiel said Worcester — and Massachusetts overall — have not yet reached that point.
The city has conducted contact tracing, she said, and has informed those who have had close contact with the two individuals about their possible exposure to the virus.
While cases remain low in Worcester, she said that people should still take precautions to try and mitigate the spread of the rash.
"Close personal contact and skin-to-skin contact is what can cause it," she said. "What the early data suggests is that gay, bisexual and other men having sex with men make up the high number of cases, but truly, anybody can get monkeypox, as long as you've been in contact with somebody who has the rash."
People should avoid close physical contact with individuals they do not know and avoid sharing materials that could potentially spread the rash, such as clothing or bedding.
She also said people should be looking for signs of the virus, such as a rash or flu-like symptoms.
"Making sure that if you see a rash and you have flu-like symptoms, that you get that evaluated," Castiel said. "That's the goal ... we want people to be aware of it and if they see it to be able to call their physician."
She said that the rashes will appear as pimples or blisters, and could have pus on them. If that is the case, they should consult their physician or the city's HHS to receive assistance.
Although not available on a wide scale, a vaccine for monkeypox is available to people who may be the most vulnerable to the virus, including those who have already come in contact with someone with a confirmed case, she said.
Vaccines are available at UMass Memorial Medical Center and AIDS Project Worcester.
"If you do get diagnosed with monkeypox, you want all your close contacts to be monitored and they can also get the vaccine," Castiel said. "Everybody needs to know that anybody can get it...we see the majority of them in the gay and bisexual community, or men having sex with men, but the reality is that it can happen."
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester confirms two monkeypox cases; matilde castiel urges caution
