Second local monkeypox case confirmed; vaccines limited as shortage hampers efforts

Public health officials confirmed Ventura County's second monkeypox infection Monday, three days after the first, and said a national shortage limits vaccination efforts.

"There are people who want to be vaccinated who aren’t being vaccinated," said Dr. Robert Levin, the county's public health officer. He emphasized vaccines are available for people with known exposure and said the threat to the general community remains low.

Laboratory tests on Friday showed the infection in an adult resident and verified the county's first case. The patient was being isolated at home and, because of ongoing symptoms, was "not comfortable but stable," Levin said Monday.

Contact tracing has revealed people who were exposed to the patient, Levin said, declining to provide details because of confidentiality concerns.

The second infection emerged over the weekend and was confirmed by lab officials Monday, Levin said, again declining to provide specifics. He said the cases are not connected.

Leaders of the World Health Organization declared the disease a global emergency on Saturday, though U.S. leaders said the outbreak can be controlled. More than 400 cases of monkeypox have been identified across California with 162 cases in Los Angeles County as of Friday.

The disease can be spread through contact with infected sores and body fluids. It can also be passed through bedding and clothes or through respiratory droplets passed through extended face-to-face contact.

The vast majority of infections have involved men who have sex with other men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

Related: Ventura County confirms first monkeypox case

Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that resembles pimples or blisters. The rash can occur in the mouth. Sores may emerge in the genital and anal areas.

It can be fatal in about 1 of 10 cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Nationwide efforts to fight the virus have been slowed by the shortage of the Jynneos vaccine that is administered in two doses four weeks apart. As of Thursday, a little more than 60,000 vaccine doses had been received across California. As many as 800,000 more doses are needed, state health officials said in a letter to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

Much of California's supply has gone to Los Angeles, the Bay Area and other regions where more cases have been confirmed. Levin said only 20 doses have been allocated to Ventura County, partly because no infections were reported until Friday.

Coronavirus cases higher: COVID-19 rises in local workplaces; hospitalizations grow

"We've asked for 110 more," he said. "We’ve not heard an answer."

The scant supply has meant vaccinations are primarily available to people with confirmed exposures and those at the highest risk, including health care workers who collect specimens by swabbing a patient's lesions.

Levin said vaccination needs are evaluated on a case-to-case basis following federal guidance. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not currently recommend broad use of the vaccine.

Myths about monkeypox:A look at symptoms, treatment and other common questions

Monkeypox can be treated with an antiviral drug called TPOXX, which is approved for smallpox but not monkeypox. Levin said few California doctors are willing to administer the drug because of the mountain of paperwork the federal government requires for each "off-label" use.

"We don't have takers yet," he said of local doctors.

A coalition of LGBTQ groups has urged the federal government to make more of the vaccine available and to expand testing.

"From the AIDS crisis to COVID-19, we have witnessed what happens when public health leaders at all levels act too slowly to protect the LGBTQ+ community," said Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, a nonprofit advocacy group. "While anyone of any sexual orientation can get monkeypox, the fact is that, for now, this outbreak continues to grow and particularly threatens gay and bisexual men."

For more, visit the California Department of Public Health's link to monkeypox information at cdph.ca.gov.

USA Today contributed to this report.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe here.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Second monkeypox case found in Ventura County; more vaccines needed