The Doctor is In

By Damon Raskin, M.D. | Special to the Palisadian-Post

Q:I have some questions about monkeypox. How worried should I be at this point? With kids going back to school, I know that adds another level of concern. Should I be considering canceling travel plans?

Just when you thought the COVID pandemic seemed to be turning a corner, along came monkeypox. It definitely sounds scary and looks horrible when you see images of people suffering from this disease. Although the number of cases in Los Angeles has more than doubled in the last two weeks, I am here to report that in general you can be much less worried about this condition than COVID. With the right precautions and knowledge, your kids will be just fine and you should not need to cancel any travel plans. We still have to worry about the price of gasoline, inflation affecting the price of food and the concerns about a nuclear accident in Ukraine. So, let me help you understand more about this viral condition so you can sleep a little better at night!

The first piece of good news is that over 99% of people who do get monkeypox will survive. The condition may start with flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, muscle pains, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue. These symptoms are followed by the rash which may start by looking like a pimple or blister, and may appear in hard to see places like the genital or anal area. The rash will then scab over and fall off. You may experience all or only a few of these symptoms, and these usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus.

Currently in LA, the risk to the general population remains low and 98% of reported cases are in men who have sex with men. That is not to say that women or children are immune from getting this disease. According to the CDC, monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often intimate skin-to-skin contact including direct contact with the rash, scabs or body fluids from someone with monkeypox. There is also the possibility of transmission through touching clothing, bedding or towels and surfaces that have been used by someone with the disease. The virus is not known to linger in the air and cannot spread through short periods of shared airspace. The best advice on how to steer clear from getting monkeypox is to avoid touching people who have a rash, including avoiding their body fluids or unwashed towels or bedding, and continuing to wash your hands frequently.

The other piece of good news is that the vaccine for this disease already exists, although it is currently in short supply. United States officials are working to increase the availability of the vaccine, and it is currently available to gay or bisexual men and transgender persons who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days. It is a two-dose vaccine given four weeks apart and if you feel that you are at risk, you can get more information on the LA Department of Public Health website. There are also antiviral treatments available that are similar to those that treat smallpox.

This epidemic is very unlikely to turn into anything similar to the pandemic we have been going through for the last two-and-a-half years. So take a deep breath, send your kids to school, and start making your vacation plans to relax and get away.