MEDFORD, Ore. -- Jackson County's public health agency says today the County is monkeypox-free. It says an earlier reported case this month did not substantiate.
On November 2, 2022, Jackson County Public Health (JCPH) reported its first presumptive case of hMPXV infection, or monkeypox, in a Jackson County adult. It says today, "After completing the investigation, Jackson County Public Health and the Oregon Health Authority determined this was not a case of hMPXV. Therefore, the official Jackson County hMPXV infection case count has returned to zero."
JCPH says the rate of the hMPXV outbreak in the United States is slowing as, "The decrease in cases is likely due to a combination of many factors, including vaccination, behavior change, and possibly increases in infection immunity among a segment of affected populations. People should continue to follow the recommended prevention steps, and getting vaccinated if exposed to hMPXV or at a higher risk of being exposed to hMPXV can help protect you and your community."
It says the following preventive steps can help protect people:
• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like hMPXV.
o Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with hMPXV.
o Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with hMPXV.
o Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with hMPXV.
o Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with hMPXV.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid contact with dead, live, or exotic animals that can spread hMPXV virus, usually
rodents and primates. This includes the bedding or other materials these animals have
touched.
• If you have been diagnosed with hMPXV infection, isolate (separate people who are sick from people who are well) at home and avoid physical contact with others. Your medical professional and a public health professional will talk to you about how to best care for yourself while infectious.
JCPH says no treatments specifically exist for hMPXV virus infections, though , hMPXV and smallpox viruses are genetically similar, suggesting vaccines and antiviral drugs developed to protect against smallpox might be used to prevent and treat hMPXV virus infections.
JCPH says Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has expanded its eligibility criteria for the hMPXVÂ vaccine to include anyone who anticipates having or has had recent direct skin-to-skin contact with at least one other person and who knows other people in their social circles or communities who have had hMPXV.
It recommends people check primary healthcare providers to learn if they carry the hMPXV vaccine or call Jackson County Public Health at 541-774-8209.
JCPH says people can be vaccinated following close contact exposure to hMPXV to help prevent illness from the virus and, "The OHA and Jackson County Public Health will work together to identify and contact close contacts of confirmed or probable hMPXV cases."
Head of the Institute of Microbiology of the German Armed Forces Roman Woelfel works in his laboraty in Munich, May 20, after Germany has detected its first case of monkeypox.
