In the last four months, Mpox cases in Los Angeles County have doubled.
Mpox is on the rise again in L.A. County.
On Monday, the Los Angeles County Department of Health reported that cases of the disease, formerly known as Monkeypox, had more than doubled over the past four weeks, up to 52 compared to the 24 cases reported during the previous four-week period.
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As the Los Angeles Blade reported, the department noted that 70 percent of the new cases were among people who were unvaccinated. It encouraged at-risk communities to get the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, which is available at pharmacies and is offered for free at public health clinics across L.A. County, according to KTLA.
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The department noted that men who have sex with men or transgender people, trans people who have sex with men or trans people, sex workers, anyone who engages in intimate physical contact at large events, people with HIV, and the sexual partners of any of the above are particularly at-risk.
The virus that causes mpox spreads through close personal contact, including direct skin-to-skin contact and contact with objects, fabrics, and surfaces. L.A. County Department of Health released recommendations to slow the spread of mpox. These included reducing sexual partners, and attending fewer sex parties. The L.A. County Department of Health also recommended against sharing items such as sex toy, towels, clothing and bedding and that all intimate items, including bedding and sex toys be cleaned after every use. It was recommended by the L.A. County Department of Health that individuals at risk talk to their partners about symptoms of mpox and refrain from sexual activities if either they or their partner show signs of disease. It also recommended individuals exchange contact information with new partners so that they can follow up if they show mpox symptoms.
While the virus that causes mpox is considered endemic in central and west African countries, it began spreading in the U.S. and Europe in 2022, causing an outbreak that saw, at its peak between July and August 2022, around 3,000 new cases per week in the U.S. During that outbreak, at least 58 people in the U.S. died of the disease. The 2022 global outbreak of mpox was primarily a problem for men who had sex with other men. But in May, the CDC reported that only 23 percent of people at risk of mpox infection in the U.S. had received both doses of the vaccine.
Messaging around the virus has all but disappeared in the U.S. since the Department of Health and Human Services officially declared an end to the national public health emergency over a year ago. Since then, there have been small outbreaks of mpox in New York, North Carolina and Colorado. And a study released earlier this year found that closeted men who have sex with men were less likely to get vaccinated or treated for mpox due to a lack of information about the virus and the vaccine.
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