Monkeypox confirmed in Travis County: What you should know

Katy-Ann McDonald, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

The number of monkeypox cases in Travis County continues to grow. Austin Public Health is investigating five presumptive monkeypox cases in individuals who are “experiencing symptoms consistent with monkeypox,” officials said.

There is currently one confirmed case in Travis County.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection in humans and has a notable rash as its main symptom and a mild to severe flu-like illness.

Austin Public Health is awaiting the Centers for Disease Control to confirm the test results for the five presumptive cases and has been working to identify and reach out to their close contacts to monitor their symptoms, said Heather Cooks-Sinclair, Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit managerfor the health authority.

The first lab-confirmed case of monkeypox in the U.S. this year was in Massachusetts on May 18. As of Thursday, there were 560 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since the first case was detected in the U.S., the federal Food and Drug Administration has worked with commercial laboratories and manufacturers to make monkeypox tests more readily available to patients and providers who need them, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

Texas received 3,000 doses of the two-dose monkeypox vaccines, according to Austin Public Health. Vaccines will be available to people at high risk of getting the disease, officials said.

People at high risk include those who have been around people who have had monkeypox, have been exposed to monkeypox or who work in a lab diagnosing monkey pox, the CDC said.

“We want to make sure they get it before they show symptoms so they can reduce the severity of disease,” Cooks-Sinclair said.

Inside the diseaseWhat you should know about monkeypox

How contagious is monkeypox?

“The exposure is via direct skin-to-skin contact, through rash or scabs, and through respiratory secretion, such as kissing,” Cooks-Sinclair said.

This makes spread more difficult than other diseases, like COVID-19 which can be spread by airborne transmission.

COVID-19 cases risingWhy Austin health officials urge caution to avoid a post-July 4 surge in COVID-19 cases

An illustration of monkeypox virus particles. This virus, endemic to the rainforests in Central and West Africa, causes disease in humans and monkeys, although its natural hosts are rodents.
An illustration of monkeypox virus particles. This virus, endemic to the rainforests in Central and West Africa, causes disease in humans and monkeys, although its natural hosts are rodents.

“But it's not always easy to tell if someone is infected, as sometimes these rashes are in hard-to-see places and the person might not know that they are currently sick,” Cooks-Sinclair said.

People also can get monkeypox by touching bedding or clothing by people who have the disease. Pregnant people also can spread it to their baby through the placenta. The CDC is also investigating a disproportionate number of cases among men who have had sex with other men.

What are monkeypox symptoms?

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. It can be on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands/palms, feet, chest, genitals or anus.

Monkeypox in TexasHere's what you need to know about this disease

Are symptoms severe?

Most symptoms of monkeypox go away on their own within a few weeks. Infected newborns, small children and people with underlying immune deficiencies could be at risk for more severe symptoms and even death from monkeypox, according to the World Health Organization.

“For the most part, the disease is a self-limiting, painful or itchy rash. It’s very uncomfortable,” Cook-Sinclair said. “I haven’t heard of any cases in Texas that have been admitted to the hospital.

“At the health department, if we think someone is at high risk for hospitalization, we are in contact with the CDC to order anti-virals to give to that person and reduce the severity of that illness.”

Protection against contraction 

“The best way to avoid contracting the infection is by practicing good hand hygiene,” Cooks-Sinclair said. “There is no geographical clustering, it’s fairly random in terms of areas of town.”

What to do if you might be infected?

Austin Public Health is requiring anyone who tests positive for monkeypox to stay home for 21 days to reduce the risk of contact and spread.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their health care provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox, according to the CDC.

“For now, if you want to get tested, see a medical provider. Right now, all the testing we are doing is through the state lab and coordinating directly with medical providers,” Cooks-Sinclair said. “We encourage all providers to contact our surveillance line.”

The Austin Public Health surveillance line is available 24 hours a day at 512-972-5555.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Monkeypox confirmed in Travis County: What you should know