The monkeypox virus isn’t deadly, and Texas health officials say the risk of contracting the disease is still low for most people. But experts believe the disease, which causes painful lesions, will continue to spread.
The virus has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades but rarely makes it outside that continent. The first time it did, in 2003, the outbreak had Texas roots.
The virus has been reported outside that continent only a handful of times, often in single cases, almost always through travelers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isWhile most cases, particularly in the current outbreak, are not severe, monkeypox is nothing to ignore, said Dr. Jason Bowling, epidemiologist at University Health in San Antonio.
But it can also travel through respiratory droplets while kissing. And it can be contracted by touching surfaces, clothing and bedding contaminated by secretions from an infected person or the fluid or scab tissue from lesions. The current cases, so far, have mostly been related to the type of contact that occurs during sex and are among people who have had sexual encounters, according to experts.
The CDC recommends prioritizing those with known exposures followed by people at high risk of being exposed, if supplies are there.
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