7 new cases of mpox reported in Clark County, but risk 'very low'

Seven probable and confirmed cases of mpox — formerly monkeypox — have been recently reported in Clark County, the Southern Nevada Health District, announced today.

None of the cases found in Clark County are connected to the clade of mpox in Africa, the health district said. The seven new cases bring Clark County’s probable and confirmed cases count to 317 as of Monday.

There are currently two types of mpox: Clade I and Clade II. Cases of Clade II appeared in Las Vegas in June 2022, when the first local mpox infection was reported amid a global outbreak that impacted cities across the United States. The virus spreads through person-to-person contact or by touching items that have been handled by someone with mpox. Symptoms include fever, chill, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion and eventually a painful rash that could spread to different parts of the body, according to the health district.

Clade I, which is endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the most recent outbreak began, can cause more severe illness and death. The World Health Organization declared Aug. 14 that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa is a global health emergency and warned that the virus could cross international borders.

Sweden, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand have already reported at least one case of mpox each since WHO Director-General Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the surge of mpox in Congo was a public health emergency of international concern.

No cases of the newest mpox clade have been reported in the United States as of today, and the risk to most Americans “is very low,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Mpox spreads through close or intimate contact,” Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District, said in a press release. “The most effective way for those at risk to protect themselves is by receiving two doses of the Mpox vaccine if eligible.”

Immunocompromised individuals, children younger than 8 years old, those with a history of eczema and pregnant or breastfeeding individuals are more likely to have serious illness or die, the SNHD said.

People can protect themselves by distancing from individuals exhibiting mpox symptoms; avoiding touching objects, clothing, bedding or materials used by someone with mpox; and watching for signs and symptoms for 21 days if exposed to mpox, then visiting a health care provider.

Antiviral medications and vaccines developed to combat smallpox may be used to treat and prevent mpox infections, and the SNHD is currently administering the two-series JYNNEOS vaccine at locations around the valley.

The CDC doesn’t recommend widespread vaccination against mpox right now, the SNHD said, but someone exposed to mpox should get vaccinated within four days after the exposure. As of Monday, it’s estimated that the SNHD and affiliated clinics have administered 11,745 vaccines.

People eligible for the mpox vaccine include gay, bisexual or same-gender loving men who have had sex with men and transgender, gender nonbinary or gender diverse people who in the last six months have had one or more sexually transmitted infections; more than one sexual partner or anonymous sexual or intimate contact; sex at a commercial sex venue; or sex in association with a large public even in a geographic area where mpox transmission is occurring.

Those who have had sexual or intimate contact with a person at risk of mpox or diagnosed with mpox may also receive the vaccine, according to the SNHD.

Find a vaccine clinic on the SNHD website: https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/monkeypox/monkeypox-vaccine-clinics/