The Long Beach Health Department has announced its first presumptive case of monkeypox.
Additional testing will be done at the CDC to confirm the infection of monkeypox. Preliminary test results indicate that the person tested positive for orthopoxvirus.
In an effort to limit the amount of additional cases the Long Beach Health Department will be conducting extensive contact tracing and offer vaccines to individuals who may have been exposed.
City officials confirm that the person is a Long Beach resident who has not had any recent travel history or known contacts.
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They are symptomatic and are isolating at their home while they recover.
"Our Health Department is taking monkeypox very seriously and is diligently working to vaccinate people who are at the highest risk, understanding that the vaccine is currently in extremely limited supply," said Long beach Mayor Robert Garcia in a statement.
Vaccines for monkeypox remain in limited supply but city officials will continue to follow LA County guidance about who is eligible to receive the vaccine.
There are vaccines and antivirals that can be given to help reduce disease severity and prevent illness, like the JYNNEOS vaccine.
Monkeypox is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. It is rarely fatal. The symptoms are similar to those of smallpox, but milder. Symptoms of monkeypox typically include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A rash that can look like pimples or blisters sometimes appears on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.
Those with monkeypox are infectious and should isolate until the rash resolves. People who have symptoms should call their health care provider, who will determine the need for testing. Those who do not have a health care provider and are experiencing symptoms can contact the city of Long Beach's public health information line at 562-570-7907.
As of July 15, more than 12,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported globally, including 1,814 cases in the U.S., 250 in California and 85 in LA County. While people of any gender and sexual orientation can acquire and spread monkeypox, most cases have been among men who have sex with men and transgender women.
The city's health department is currently offering the vaccine to people who:
- have been exposed to someone with confirmed monkeypox and do not have symptoms;
- have been exposed through that specific person will be contacted by the health department;
- have established care at specialty clinics (i.e., STD or HIV clinics) where there was high risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox;
- are gay and bisexual men or transgender people with a diagnosis of rectal gonorrhea or early syphilis within the past three months and have a doctor's referral or proof of a positive result.
