Stanislaus health officials watchful as serious skin rash cases rise in California
Cases of mpox and related skin sores are rising in California, prompting health officials to recommend vaccinations for those at high risk.
Mpox is characterized by skin eruptions including a rash, raised bumps, blisters, pustules and scabs. It is often spread through intimate contact with someone who’s infected with the virus.
A recent case of Clade I MPox in San Francisco was related to travel, according to the California Department of Public Health. The unvaccinated person was hospitalized after close contact with an individual who had traveled internationally to an area where Clade I MPox is spreading.
A CDPH news release said the patient is improving.
It’s the seventh Clade I mpox case confirmed in California in the last 17 months. Public health agencies are using surveillance and contact tracing to track any additional cases and prevent transmission.
Clade I infections are a concern because they’re more severe, raising the risk of hospitalization, especially among people with weakened immune systems.
Less severe Clade II mpox infections have been circulating in the United States, including California, since 2022, the CDPH said. Clade II also is on the rise, with California seeing double the average weekly cases when compared to previous years.
Public health agencies have confirmed almost 15 cases per week this year, mostly among people who were not vaccinated.
“This reinforces how important it is for people at higher risk to get both doses of the mpox vaccine,” said Dr. Erica Pan, director of CDPH. “With travel and large events approaching, now is the ideal time to protect yourself if you or your sex partner may be at risk.”
Sexual activity, massages or cuddling may result in skin-to-skin contact with the mpox rash, scabs or bodily fluids from the sores. It can also spread from an mpox-infected pregnant woman to the fetus, the CDPH news release said.
Health officials say casual contact in public won’t likely spread the virus.
The symptoms of Clade I and II include fever or chills, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, backaches, sore throat, nasal congestion or cough, followed by a rash and skin sores.
CDPH said the vaccine is “safe and effective at preventing severe mpox illness and reducing the chance of infection from both” types of mpox.
Veronica Plaugher, a manager with the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, said Monday that there are no current cases of mpox in the county.
County public health officials confirmed a local case of Clade II mpox last year. More than 20 mpox cases were identified in Stanislaus County in 2022, which led the county Health Services Agency to add more clinics for vaccinations.
According to the county health services website, groups recommended for mpox vaccine include people living with the HIV virus, especially those with a CD4 count; men who have sex with men or trans individuals; those who use HIV PrEP; sex workers; people who’ve had skin-to-skin contract with an mpox-infected person; and people who’ve been diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea or another sexually transmitted disease.
Mpox vaccinations are available through the county immunization program. Call 209-558-7700.
