Vaccines are still in short supply, but those that have arrived in San Antonio are being selectively distributed.
SAN ANTONIO – The number of monkeypox cases continues to climb at an alarming rate, with states of emergency now being declared in San Francisco and New York.
We conducted a poll on Twitter to find out how concerned you were about the rapid spread of the disease and found that 17% of you were very concerned about the spread of the disease, 36% were somewhat concerned and 47 % were not worried at all.
“People should be careful about intimate contact, especially with people who have unexplained rashes or rashes known to be monkeypox,” said Dr Jan Patterson, an infectious disease specialist at University Health and professor and infectious disease physician at UT. Health San Antonio.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say scientists are still researching whether the virus is spreading when a person has no symptoms, and how often monkeypox is spread through respiratory secretions, or when a person with symptoms of monkeypox may be more likely to spread the virus through respiratory secretions.
In other words, it is possible for the disease to be transmitted through the air. Dr Patterson added: “It’s possible it could be spread through respiratory droplets if someone has prolonged close contact with that person face to face. But it’s mostly skin-to-skin contact with a person who has active skin lesions.”
As of July 29, there were 22,485 cases of monkeypox worldwide. It has been found in 79 countries; 72 of them have never reported monkeypox. In the United States, as of July 25, 3,487 cases have been reported. Just four days later, that number rose to 5,189 and was in every state except Vermont, Montana and Wyoming. Here in Texas, as of July 29, there were 351 cases and one escalation.
Vaccines are still in short supply, but those that have arrived in San Antonio are being selectively distributed. Dr Patterson told us: “The Metropolitan Health Department has a supply of vaccines and the priority ones are those who have been exposed to monkeypox.
If you’ve been exposed to monkeypox or have symptoms like a new, unexplained rash and an association with fever and chills, Dr. Patterson says you should see a doctor.
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