Monkey Pox Confirmed in Prowers County 8/4/22

Description: Monkey Pox Confirmed in Prowers County: Yesterday afternoon (Thursday, 8/4/2022) I received a press release (attached) regarding a confirmed case of Monkeypox in Prowers County.

PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS

Monkeypox Confirmed in Prowers County

The situations, numbers, website links, data, and etc. described below were current as of Friday 8/5/2022 at 10:17a.m.

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Please take the time to read and understand this entire message.

Internet links:  Before I send out these emails, I check the links to make sure they are active.  However, links do change from time to time, so the link(s) I sent out now may not be the same later.

Monkey Pox Confirmed in Prowers County:  Yesterday afternoon (Thursday, 8/4/2022) I received a press release (attached) regarding a confirmed case of Monkeypox in Prowers County. 

Please remember, the risk to the general public is low (Monkeypox frequently asked questions | Department of Public Health & Environment (colorado.gov))

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) (Monkeypox | Department of Public Health & Environment (colorado.gov)) “Recent cases in the United States have been infected through person-to-person contact. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus…

The type of monkeypox spreading in the United States is rarely deadly and has a fatality rate of less than 1%. In fact, in most cases, monkeypox will resolve on its own. Symptoms of monkeypox may begin with flu-like symptoms that can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion.

Typically, a rash or skin bumps develop within one to three days after the onset of fever, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body… People who are experiencing symptoms of monkeypox or think they have been exposed to monkeypox should contact a health care provider to discuss testing. Many providers can now submit specimens through commercial laboratory networks such as Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics, and Sonic Healthcare… Some people who have been recently exposed to monkeypox should get a vaccine called Jynneos.

The FDA has fully approved this vaccine. Colorado currently has an extremely limited supply of the vaccine from the federal government.  Getting vaccinated lowers your chance of getting monkeypox if you may have been exposed. The sooner an exposed person gets the vaccine, the better. The vaccine can also reduce the severity of your symptoms if you do get sick later on. People who already have symptoms of monkeypox (fever, rash, etc.) should not get vaccinated.”

Here is the website for the CDPHE monkeypox vaccine eligibility and interest form:  CDPHE monkeypox vaccine eligibility and interest form (google.com)

To stay up to date on Monkeypox, please visit these websites: 

ü  Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE):  Monkeypox | Department of Public Health & Environment (colorado.gov)

ü  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):  Monkeypox | Poxvirus | CDC

Richard Ritter, Executive Director

Otero County Health Department

13 West 3rd Street, Room 111

La Junta, Colorado 81050

719-383-3045 (Office)

719-383-3060 (Fax)

rritter@oterogov.org

Prowers County Public Health and Environment Notified of Monkeypox Case       

Monkeypox identified and confirmed in Prowers County

PROWERS COUNTY – On August 4, 2022, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) notified Prowers County Public Health and Environment (PCPHE) of a confirmed case of monkeypox. The risk to the general public continues to be low.

Meagan Hillman, Director of PCPHE said, “The purpose of this communication is to let the public know that monkeypox has been confirmed in our community and the risk to the public is low. To maintain the confidentiality of individuals, no further information will be shared about this case or future cases,” she said.

Monkeypox has been spreading in parts of the United States. Colorado currently has 79 confirmed cases. The World Health Organization declared the current monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. CDPHE is the best source for updated information:  cdphe.colorado.gov/monkeypox. PCPHE urges anyone with symptoms to isolate and contact their healthcare provider.

Information that everyone should know about monkeypox:

Transmission

• Monkeypox can be spread through: 
• Direct skin-skin contact with rash lesions 
• Sexual/intimate contact, including kissing  
• Living in a house and sharing a bed with someone 
• Sharing towels or unwashed clothing 
• Respiratory secretions through prolonged face-to-face interactions (the type that mainly happen when living with someone or caring for someone who has monkeypox) 
• Monkeypox is NOT spread through: 
• Casual brief conversations 
• Walking by someone with monkeypox, like in a grocery store

Symptoms

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
• The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after infection. Coloradans can help prevent the spread of monkeypox by avoiding close physical contact with individuals who have acquired monkeypox, wearing a high-quality mask if they will be spending time in close contact with someone experiencing symptoms of monkeypox, and contacting a health care provider as soon as possible if they experience symptoms.

Vaccination
The JYNNEOS vaccine is a fully FDA-approved two-dose vaccine, with doses given four weeks apart. If received between four and 14 days after exposure, the vaccine can help prevent severe illness but may not completely prevent infection.

  Due to extremely limited national vaccine supply, PCPHE can only use allocated vaccine for close contacts identified by Public Health.

Statewide case counts are updated weekly and can be found here:  cdphe.colorado.gov/monkeypox .

For more information, visit: cdphe.colorado.gov/monkeypox. Or call CO HELP: 1-877-462-2911

PCPHE is happy to answer questions and coordinate a visit with a person’s healthcare provider, 719-336-8721

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