Monkeypox Information

While it is not considered a sexually transmitted infection, a high number of monkeypox cases during the current outbreak has occurred among men who have sex with men. The CDC stresses that anyone who has close or intimate contact with an infected person can get monkeypox.

It is important to contact your health care provider if you notice an unusual rash or skin lesions that start in one area, but quickly spread over different parts of the body — especially if you think you may have been exposed to monkeypox or traveled from a country that currently is considered a country of interest for monkeypox. 

The virus can spread from person to person in different ways, including:

• Direct contact with contagious rash, scabs or body fluids
• Respiratory droplets that you breath in during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or intimate physical or sexual contact
• Touching clothing, bedding and other material previously touched by an infected person or animal
• Being scratched or bitten by an infected animal or by eating meat or using products from an infected animal

Pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

If you are planning to attend an event or social gathering, consider how much close personal, skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur.

Festivals, concerts and other events where people are fully clothed and unlikely to have skin-to-skin contact are safer, according to the CDC. A rave, party or club where there is minimal clothing and skin-to-skin contact has some risk. 

If you can’t avoid contact with someone who has symptoms, you should try to avoid contact with contaminated material, practice good hand hygiene with frequent hand-washing and wear a mask/gloves/gown when in potential close contact.

In addition to getting vaccinated if you’re a candidate, the CDC recommends these steps to protect yourself during the monkeypox outbreak:

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
• Don’t touch the rash or scabs of a person who has monkeypox.
• Don’t kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone who has monkeypox.
• Don’t share eating utensils or cups with a person who has monkeypox.
• Don’t handle or touch the bedding, towels or clothing of a person who has monkeypox.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The JYNNEOS vaccine, which is approved for prevention of smallpox and monkeypox, is the primary vaccine being used during this outbreak in the US.

The JYNNEOS vaccine has a low risk of side effects. It requires two shots, spaced four weeks apart, and you are considered fully immune two weeks after your second dose. 

For vaccine availability and to schedule an appointment, visit MyTurn.ca.gov or the County of San Diego.

Those most at risk of serious illness or death from monkeypox are:

• People with weakened immune systems
• Children under 8 years of age
• People with a history of eczema
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding

It usually takes seven to 14 days after exposure for the onset of symptoms, which are similar to smallpox. They include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes (a distinguishing feature from smallpox)
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that appears on the face, mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus

Lesions typically develop simultaneously and evolve together on any given part of the body. The evolution of lesions progresses through four stages — macular, papular, vesicular, to pustular — before scabbing over and desquamation. Once all scabs have fallen off, a person is no longer contagious.

The incubation period is three to 17 days. During this time, a person does not have symptoms and may feel fine. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

The severity of illness can depend upon the initial health of the individual and the route of exposure. If you have monkeypox, it is important to prevent spreading the disease and isolate until you are fully healed. 

Most people with monkeypox recover fully within two to four weeks without the need for medical treatment. Over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers can help ease symptoms.

Antivirals, such as tecovirimat (TPOXX), may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill, like patients with weakened immune systems.

If you have symptoms of monkeypox, you should talk to your health care provider, even if you don’t think you had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

A previous vaccination against smallpox may lessen the severity of monkeypox, but there’s no guarantee.

If you got the vaccine against smallpox before the 1970s, it is likely that protection may have waned over time.  

There is a small chance of severe illness from monkeypox. You should seek medical care quickly if you have the following symptoms:

• Trouble breathing
• New or worsening chest pain
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Difficulty speaking or moving
• Loss of consciousness
• Seizures

If you do contract monkeypox, San Diego County’s Public Health Services will be in close contact with you along with your Scripps provider during your illness. For more information about monkeypox or the vaccine, visit the San Diego County monkeypox website or call 2-1-1.