OREGON, USA — Oregon and Washington are tracking small outbreaks of hMPXV, also known as monkeypox, but health officials warn numbers are likely higher than they appear.
The virus is spread most easily through skin-to-skin contact and sharing of contaminated clothing, and can cause rashes, lesions, strong headache and fever.
More than 7,200 cases were confirmed globally as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the 604 confirmed cases in the U.S., Oregon had three, Washington had seven and California had 117.
Oregon Health Authority officials held a press conference to discuss the spread of the cases on Thursday.
Watch the full press conference here:
"We don't need to be talking about where it came from, because it's here and it's spreading," said Jason Davis, spokesperson for Lane County Health & Human Services in the Eugene/Springfield area.
Lane County is waiting on lab results to confirm two presumptive hMPXV cases. Contact tracing identified about 25 contacts for one of those cases.
Davis said since outbreaks were first reported in Europe several months ago, his team has been focused on outreach and awareness.
"Not only reach people, but make sure we don't have collateral damage in the process," he explained.
About 200,000 people are expected to visit Lane County in coming weeks for the Oregon Country Fair and World Athletics Championships. Davis is working to emphasize hMPXV prevention ahead of those events.
"We've seen pushback from folks [saying], 'not again, this is another scare tactic by public health," Davis said. "We're not saying the sky is falling. In fact, I hope we're being transparent and open about that this is not as contagious as COVID, and it does take that prolonged exposure, especially skin to skin."
Some outlets have reported seemingly disproportionate infection rates among gay and bisexual men, although inconsistent testing around the country makes real numbers difficult to quantify.
GLAAD, a national LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, noted a CDC statement released May 18 that said, “anyone can spread monkeypox, regardless of sexual orientation.”
"There is no such thing as a disease that is specific to a certain population," Davis agreed. "And that's the most important message: anybody can get this illness."
The CDC announced Wednesday a partnership with Labcorp, a commercial lab, will help double testing capacity nationwide to 10,000 tests per week. Other commercial labs may soon join that effort as well, the CDC said.
The federal government has ordered delivery of 4 million hMPXV vaccines in 2022 and 2023.
Davis said as of last week, Oregon had about 300 available doses.
"A very precious resource at this point," he said.
In Lane County, vaccines are being held only for people with known exposure and for at-risk groups with other underlying health conditions.
Anyone who exhibits rash and lesions is urged to see a doctor and avoid skin-to-skin contact.
"It's a worldwide issue," Davis said. "It's going to take everybody thinking and knowing how this is spread and how to prevent it."