Nearly 200 Monkeypox Cases in RivCo, Majority in the Coachella Valley

The County of Riverside reported 25 new confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox Wednesday.

The over all total now sits at 197.

Wednesday morning Jose Arballo, public information officer for Riverside University Health System, updated the count and shared the information via a twitter account.

RivCo Public Health is reporting 25 new probable/confirmed MPX (Monkeypox) cases in the county. Total for Riverside County is now 197. See details in the data portal https://t.co/ypeMjmleKe

— Jose Arballo (@rivcohealthpio) August 31, 2022

Riverside County Public Health has created a webpage where all of the monkeypox data is categorized by location, sexual orientation and gender at http://www.rivcoph.org/mpx/Data.

The county declared a public health emergency in early August to focus attention on the virus. State and federal officials also proclaimed emergencies.

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

As of Monday, a total of 3,291 monkeypox cases were confirmed in California — the highest of any state — while nationwide, the aggregate count was at 18,101, 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 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 www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html.