Updated Monkeypox Information for Weber-Morgan Counties

Here you will find updated information pertaining to the Monkeypox outbreak in Weber and Morgan Counties.   We will be posting the most up-to-date news, resources, and downloads regarding the outbreak.  Are you eligible for the Monkeypox vaccine?  Take the survey below.

196

Utah Case Count

9

Statewide Cases Hospitalized with Monkeypox

4,566

People Recevied a Vaccine Statewide

3,088

People Received a Second Dose Statewide

7,661

Total Vaccines Administered Statewide

Weber-Morgan Health Department Monkeypox Snapshot

Data Last Updated: 2/16/2023 at 11:30 AM MST

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MONKEYPOX

Essential Information

MONKEYPOX

Latest News

What are the signs and symptoms of Monkeypox?

People with monkeypox get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) and could be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.

  • The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
  • The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.

Other symptoms of monkeypox can include:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Exhaustion
  • Muscle aches and backache
  • Headache
  • Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

You may experience all or only a few symptoms

  • Sometimes, people have flu-like symptoms before the rash.
  • Some people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms.
  • Others only experience a rash.
How long do Monkeypox symptoms last?

Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.

Monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

How does Monkeypox spread?

Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:

  • Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
  • Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
  • Contact with respiratory secretions.

This direct contact can happen during intimate contact, including:

  • Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) of a person with monkeypox.
  • Hugging, massage, and kissing.
  • Prolonged face-to-face contact.
  • Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with monkeypox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.
When and where to get tested?

When to Get Tested

  • Currently, testing is only recommended if you have a rash consistent with monkeypox.
  • If you think you have monkeypox or have had close personal contact with someone who has monkeypox, consider taking precautions and visit a healthcare provider to help you decide if you need to be tested for monkeypox.

Where to Get Tested

  • Only a healthcare provider can order a monkeypox test. The healthcare provider may take a specimen and send it to a lab for testing or they may send you to a lab for both specimen collection and testing.
  • Contact your local health department with any questions and to find out what the testing options are for your community.
What to expect when you get tested?
  • You will likely need to fill out paperwork before you get tested.
  • To get a specimen to test, the healthcare provider will use a swab to rub vigorously across lesions of your rash. They will take swabs from more than one lesion.
  • This swabbing may be uncomfortable but is necessary to get enough material to detect the monkeypox virus from the specimens.
  • The specimens will be tested in a lab to see if the monkeypox virus is detected.
  • Results are usually available within a few days.
  • While you are waiting for your results, take precautions to avoid getting or spreading monkeypox virus to others.
How to protect yourself and others?

Monkeypox Prevention Steps

Take the following three steps to prevent getting monkeypox:

1. Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
  • Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox.
  • Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.
2. Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
  • Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
  • Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.
3. Wash your hands often.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom.

In Central and West Africa, avoid contact with animals that can spread monkeypox virus, usually rodents and primates. Also, avoid sick or dead animals, as well as bedding or other materials they have touched.

Who should get vaccinated?

In the current outbreak, you may want to get vaccinated if:

  • You have been identified as a close contact of someone with monkeypox.
  • You learn that one of your sex partners in the past 2 weeks has been diagnosed with monkeypox.

In addition, you may want to get vaccinated if you are a man who has sex with other men or are a transgender or gender-diverse person who has sex with men and in the past 2 weeks:

  • You have had sex with multiple partners or group sex.
  • You have had sex at a commercial sex venue (like a sex club or bathhouse).
  • You have had sex at an event, venue, or in an area where monkeypox transmission is occurring.
Where can you get vaccinated?
  • In some large cities, monkeypox vaccines may be available at the health department, public health clinics, hospitals, or even at large social gatherings or venues where people who engage in behaviors that may increase their chances of getting monkeypox can get vaccinated.
  • In other areas, monkeypox vaccines may only be available from the health department.
  • Contact your local health department to see what the vaccination options are in your community.