Update, August 5, 9:20 a.m.: On Thursday, the Biden administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency. Cases in St. Louis are still low. Read on for more about what you need to know.
Original story: So far, confirmed cases of monkeypox in the St. Louis region remain low, and Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, M.D., director of health for St. Louis City, says learning about the virus and following CDC-recommended preventive measures can help keep the numbers low. “I want people to know there is no cause for alarm at this time,” she says. “There is one confirmed case of monkeypox in St. Louis City, and one confirmed case in the county,” says Hlatshwayo Davis, citing late-July case numbers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited nine confirmed cases of monkeypox in Missouri at the end of July and 4,639 nationwide.
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Hilary Reno, M.D., a Washington University infectious disease specialist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, says prevention includes “an awareness of monkeypox, seeing a doctor if you suspect you have it, avoiding skin-to-skin contact with someone with a rash and materials a person with monkeypox has used, and washing your hands more.” CDC recommendations, Reno says, offer ways to lower risks of contracting monkeypox in social gatherings and intimate encounters.
What to Know
- Men who have sex with men comprise the majority of monkeypox cases. However, it is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease. “Monkeypox is not an STD,” Reno says. “It is spread through close skin-to-skin contact. You are not going to get it in the grocery store or bumping up against someone.”
- Symptoms include a rash with fluid-filled sores, often around the mouth and on the face face, and then spreads to the genitals and other parts of the body, Reno notes. Fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, and congestion are other symptoms. It can also be spread by touching items like clothing, towels, and linens that were in contact with someone with the virus.
- People with symptoms of monkeypox should see their health care provider for testing, advises the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, adding, “If you do not have a provider, call your local public health agency. You should only get tested for monkeypox if you are experiencing symptoms.”
- The CDC recommends vaccination for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and people who are at higher risk of being exposed to the virus. In the United States there are two vaccines that can be used to prevent monkeypox: JYNNEOS and ACAM2000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which notes, in part, “JYNNEOS is FDA-approved for monkeypox and smallpox, while ACAM2000 is approved for smallpox but has been granted an expanded access Investigational New Drug (EA-IND) protocol to allow its use for monkeypox. Both vaccines are thought to be 85% effective at preventing monkeypox.”
- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services notes on its website that the “JYNNEOS vaccine is being allocated to states by our federal partners based on the rate of cases occurring in each state.” Because Missouri’s case rate remains low and vaccine availability remains limited, only post-exposure prophylaxis vaccines are currently available for people with confirmed contacts to people with monkeypox, according to Reno.
- Currently there is no treatment approved specifically for monkeypox virus infections. However, antivirals developed for use in patients with smallpox may prove beneficial, say experts.
