A Long Beach minor has tested positive for monkeypox, the Department of Health and Human Services reported on Tuesday, Aug. 2, as the virus continues spreading throughout the city and countywide.
There were 20 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox in Long Beach as of Tuesday, the health department reported — an eight person increase since Wednesday, July 27. To date, no monkeypox-positive patients have required hospitalization and no deaths have been reported in the United States.
Long Beach is now considering whether to declare a local public health emergency in response to the monkeypox outbreak, health department representative Jennifer Rice Epstein said in a Tuesday email.
Los Angeles County and California have already declared states of emergency because of monkeypox spread, the latter of which did so on Tuesday.
The LA County Board of Supervisors ratified a local state of emergency declaration Tuesday. To date, the Department of Public Health has confirmed 423 monkeypox cases countywide.
“This proclamation is critical in helping us get ahead of this virus,” Supervisor Holly Mitchell said in a statement. “It allows us to cut through the red tape to better dedicate resources and educate residents on how to protect themselves and help stop the spread.
“It will also allow the county to quickly administer vaccines as more become available,” she added, “and to take the necessary efforts to obtain supplies and enhance outreach and awareness.”
The county’s declaration came less than a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in California — also in an effort to speed the state’s response to the monkeypox outbreak.
Three states — New York, Illinois and California — all announced a state of emergency in response to monkeypox in within three days of each other.
It’s unclear when Long Beach will make the call on whether to follow suit.
The health department, meanwhile, is ramping up its monkeypox vaccination efforts in an attempt to control the outbreak locally.
Long Beach will receive a designated allotment of vaccine supply from DPH, officials said at the Tuesday Board of Supervisors meeting.
“Every time we get our allocation from the federal government and those doses have arrived,” said Dr. Rita Singhal, director of DPH’s disease control bureau. “We will then be giving them their allocated doses.”
That number, Singhal said, was calculated based on the percentage of high-risk people in Long Beach.
The city is expected to receive 3,100 doses of the vaccine from the county by the end of this week — adding to its stockpile of 1,620 currently on hand, Rice Epstein said.
“We’re working actively to vaccinate eligible people as quickly as possible,” she said.
Long Beach will also conduct a thorough contact tracing investigation relating to the child monkeypox case, the health department said, and will offer vaccinations to people who may have been exposed in order to mitigate further spread of the virus. The child was symptomatic but is now recovered.
“While the risk of monkeypox is low, Health officials urge community members to remain vigilant and be aware of symptoms and possible exposure,” a Tuesday health department news release said. “This is a reminder that everyone, regardless of age or sexual orientation, can get monkeypox if they come into contact with the virus.”
Monkeypox, in the same family as smallpox, spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin or face-to-face contact. That includes kissing, hugging, cuddling and feeding, the health department said. The virus can also spread via infected materials, including cups, bedding, clothing, towels and utensils.
The virus is rarely fatal and symptoms tend to be milder than those of smallpox. They 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.
Symptoms, however, vary from case-to-case. The health department urges any residents experiencing potential monkeypox symptoms to call their health provider or the city’s public health information line at 562-570-7907.
City News Service contributed to this report.
