News

There has been 1 case of monkeypox virus in Montgomery County and the number of cases continues to rise throughout Texas. A man receives a monkeypox vaccine from healthcare workers at a Paris Edison vaccination center in July.
There has been 1 case of monkeypox virus in Montgomery County and the number of cases continues to rise throughout Texas. Sebastian Booker, 37, of Houston, contracted a severe case of monkeypox a week after attending the Dallas Music Festival on July 4.
There has been 1 case of monkeypox virus in Montgomery County and the number of cases continues to rise throughout Texas. In July, the Houston Department of Health collected two sewage samples. Houston was one of the first cities in the US to release wastewater data to predict trends in COVID-19 infections. This has been a reliable indicator throughout the pandemic.
Montgomery County has reported 1 case of monkeypox virus as cases continue to rise in Texas and across the country.
The only case in the county was reported earlier this summer in a man in his 30s, according to the Montgomery County Public Health District. He has since recovered from the virus.
The first case of monkeypox in Texas was reported in Dallas County in June. To date, the State Department of Health has reported 813 cases in Texas. Of these, 801 are men.
On HoustonChronicle.com: How many cases of monkeypox are there in Houston?Track the spread of the virus
Jason Millsaps, executive director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said on Monday that the health district had only received 20 monkeypox vaccines.
“There is nothing to worry about,” Millsaps said of the number of vaccines the county received. He added that doctors and patients diagnosed with the virus can receive these vaccines.
As of August 10, state health authorities have begun shipping an additional 16,340 vials of JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to local health departments and public health districts. The distribution is based on the number of people most likely to contract the virus right now.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that begins with symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. Soon after, a rash will appear that looks like pimples or blisters. The rash usually first appears on the face and mouth and then spreads to other parts of the body.
Monkeypox can be spread from person to person through direct contact with bodily fluids such as rashes, scabs, or saliva. It can also be transmitted through prolonged face-to-face contact through airborne droplets. Many of the current monkeypox outbreaks have occurred among men who have sex with men, but anyone who has direct skin-to-skin contact or kisses an infected person can contract the virus.
“With the surge in monkeypox cases worldwide, it’s not surprising that the virus is spreading in Texas,” said Dr. Jennifer Shuford, the state’s chief epidemiologist. “We want people to know what the symptoms are and if they are, to avoid close contact with other people who can spread the disease.”
The Biden administration last week announced a plan to expand the country’s limited stockpile by changing injection methods. Pointing the needle at the superficial layer of the skin rather than the deeper layers of fat allows officials to inject one-fifth of the original dose. Federal officials said the change would not compromise the safety or efficacy of the vaccine, the only FDA-approved vaccine in the country to prevent monkeypox.
In Harris County, the Houston Department of Health said it is awaiting further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to start using the new approach. Both health departments will need to retrain healthcare workers — a process that can take several days — and get different syringes to administer the appropriate doses.
Dr. David Pearce, Houston’s chief medical officer, said on Wednesday that a nationwide fight over the same type of syringe could lead to supply issues. But “we didn’t expect that at the moment,” he said.
“We do our homework by figuring out our inventory and learning content,” he said. “It will definitely take us a few days, but hopefully not more than a week to figure it out.”