Riverside County Reports Two More Monkeypox Cases, Total Now 109

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Riverside County reported two more confirmed or
probable monkeypox cases today, raising the overall number to 109.

Jose Arballo, a spokesman for the Riverside University Health System,
said the new cases were all in men between the ages of 35 and 45, with one from
the Coachella Valley and the other from western Riverside County.

The first probable or confirmed case in a female was reported Tuesday.

Last Thursday, Arballo reported the total probable/confirmed cases
stood at 76, up from 42 the previous week. Two cases originally reported in
Riverside County have since been assigned to San Bernardino County.

Riverside County Public Health Officer Geoffrey Leung signed a public
health emergency proclamation last week in an effort to focus attention on the
virus, and the county Board of Supervisors ratified the proclamation Monday.

“We have seen the devastating physical effects of monkeypox on those
who have been infected, as well as the emotional toll on partners, family and
loved ones,” Leung said in a statement. “Now is the time for Public Health,
our community partners and local leadership to reinforce our commitment to work
together to slow and eventually stop the spread of this virus.”

State and federal officials also proclaimed emergencies in response to
monkeypox.

Riverside County health officials have distributed 75% of their
allotment of monkeypox vaccine doses to DAP Health, Eisenhower Medical Center,
Borrego Health and RUHS’ EIP clinic in the Coachella Valley from the county’s
limited supply, Arballo told City News Service.

He said the county received 3,514 doses of the two-dose JYNNEOS
monkeypox vaccine, enough for about 1,750 people, before the 75% was
distributed to the Coachella Valley.

The other 25% was kept for RUHS efforts such as larger scale events
and post-exposure prophylaxis, Arballo said.

“We continue to work on adding additional community partners to make
our limited vaccine supply available more widely, as we also continue to
advocate for more vaccine doses for our county,” Arballo said.

According to health officials, the vaccine can prevent infection if
given before or shortly after exposure to the virus.

The county is also working with community partners to expand
eligibility for the two-shot vaccines to include at-risk individuals, and to
set up treatment sites with Tecovirimat — an antiviral medication used to
treat orthopoxvirus infections such as monkeypox.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California
Department of Public Health advise that the vaccine be prioritized for high-
risk and exposed patients. Gay and bisexual men are at increased risk of
contracting the virus, according to the CDC.

The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a “public health
emergency of international concern.”

As of Wednesday, a total of 2,356 monkeypox cases were confirmed in
California — the second-highest of any state, behind New York’s 2,675 — while
nationwide, the aggregate count was at 13,517, according to the latest CDC
data.

Monkeypox is generally spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact,
resulting from infectious rashes and scabs, though respiratory secretions and
bodily fluids exchanged during extended physical episodes such as sexual
intercourse can also lead to transmission, according to the CDC.

Symptoms include fresh pimples, blisters, rashes, fever and fatigue.
There is no specific treatment. People who have been infected with smallpox, or
have been vaccinated for it, may have immunity to monkeypox.

People with symptoms are urged to visit a medical provider, cover the
rash area with clothing, wear a mask and avoid close or skin-to-skin contact
with others.

The CDC particularly recommends those steps for people who recently
traveled to an area where monkeypox cases have been reported or who have had
contact with a confirmed or suspected monkeypox case.

A full list of countries that have confirmed monkeypox cases is
available at wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/monkeypox. A state-by-state
tally of cases is available at http://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-
map.html.

Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.

CNS-08-18-2022 10:03