Mpox (MPX) Update

UPDATED: August 1, 2022

About Mpox

Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with the mpox virus. This virus is part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. Mpox symptoms are like smallpox symptoms, but milder, and mpox is rarely fatal. Mpox is not related to chickenpox.

Prior to the 2022 outbreak, mpox had been reported in people in several central and western African countries. Previously, almost all mpox cases in people outside of Africa were linked to international travel to countries where the disease commonly occurs or through imported animals.

Read more about mpox on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage >>

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of mpox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

The rash goes through various stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

For images of what a mpox rash can look like, visit the CDC’s symptom page >>

Prevention

Take the following steps to prevent getting mpox:

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like mpox.
  • Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with mpox.
  • Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with mpox.
  • Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with mpox.
• Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with mpox.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• In Central and West Africa, avoid contact with animals that can spread mpox virus, usually rodents and primates. Also, avoid sick or dead animals, as well as bedding or other materials they have touched.

If you are sick with mpox:

• Isolate at home
• If you have an active rash or other symptoms, stay in a separate room or area away from the people and/or pets you live with, when possible.

Treatment

No treatments currently exist specifically for mpox virus infections. However, mpox and smallpox viruses are genetically similar, which means that antiviral drugs and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat mpox virus infections.

Antivirals, such as tecovirimat (TPOXX), may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill, like patients with weakened immune systems.

If you have symptoms of mpox, you should talk to your health care provider, even if you don’t think you had contact with someone who has mpox.

Virtual visit with your provider

If you suspect you have mpox, or if you have a recent onset of a fever and/or rash, we recommend you schedule a telemedicine visit – either video and/or phone – with your provider.

To schedule a virtual appointment, please call 503-223-3113.

Vaccine availability

For information on possible mpox vaccines, go to the CDC’s webpage – “Considerations for Monkeypox Vaccination” >>