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6 New Mpox Cases Reported In LA County. How To Protect Yourself
Hundreds of people received the mpox (previously known as monkeypox) vaccine over two days at DTLA Proud last year.
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Jackie Fortiér
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LAist
)
Topline:
Six people in L.A. County have tested positive for mpox, the painful rash caused by a virus related to small pox. Sonali Kulkarni, Medical Director of HIV and STD programs at Public Health, said the cases are not related to attendance at Pride festivals. None of the six cases are hospitalized, and health authorities are doing contact tracing, she added.
The backstory: Many mpox cases last summer stemmed from people traveling and attending LGBTQ events. Mpox disproportionately affects men who have sex with men. People in that high risk group should get tested if they have an abnormal rash, said Kulkarni.
Why now: Public health officials had cautioned that mpox cases could surge again due to summer festivals and Pride events, which have now been underway all month. There’s only been a handful of mpox cases in L.A. County in April and May, but officials expect more as the summer goes on. The two-dose vaccine is still free and will be available at SoCal festivals.
What to look for: "It starts out generally as like a flat lesion," Kulkarni said, "and then over the course of a few days it’ll develop into more of a small bump and then a pustule. And then become more like a crater with a crust over it."
Go deeper: Your Mpox Guide To Staying Safe During Pride
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