On Friday, Oct. 1, the California Department of Public Health provided a weekly update on the state’s monkeypox outbreak and response.

Cases

California has reported 5,010 probable and confirmed monkeypox cases.

Cases have been reported in 44 local health jurisdictions.

Complete case data is available on the state’s monkeypox data dashboard.

Hospitalizations

There have been 195 hospitalizations in California due to the monkeypox virus and one confirmed death.

Vaccines

California has received 165,371 vials of monkeypox vaccine, including 65,582 delivered directly to Los Angeles County from the federal government.

California Public Health has distributed 155,282 vials to other local public health departments.

208,108 total doses have been administered to 149,096 persons in California.

Complete allocation and distribution data is available on the MPX vaccine page.

Treatment

California has distributed 3,931 oral treatment courses of Tecovirimat (TPOXX).

Guidance for Child Care and School Settings

While monkeypox transmission among the general public and children remains low, Public Health has provided guidance for child care facilities and schools to help reduce the spread of infectious diseases, including monkeypox, in those settings.

To date, Public Health has not received any reports of monkeypox spread in these settings. The guidance outlines how to prevent transmission, provides best practices in the event of any potential monkeypox exposure, and recommends that schools and child care facilities contact their local health department for additional assistance.

Know the Signs

People with monkeypox may first develop flu-like illness with fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion and enlarged lymph nodes. A characteristic rash, which can appear like blisters or pimples in certain parts of the body, may occur a few days later. These blisters or pimples may be very painful.

Monkeypox may require hospitalization in rare instances. In some cases, no flu-like symptoms appear and individuals only develop a rash. People with the virus may experience all or only a few of these symptoms. The illness may last for up to two to four weeks and usually resolves without specific treatment.

Slow & Prevent Spread

There are several measures that can be taken to prevent infection with MPX virus:

Avoid any physical contact like hugging, kissing, or sexual intimacy with people who have symptoms of monkeypox, including a rash or sores.

Talk to sexual partner/s about any recent illness. Be aware of new or unexplained sores or rashes on your body or a partner’s body.

Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.

Do not handle or touch bedding, towels, clothing, or other fabrics that have been in contact with someone with monkeypox.

Wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Read the CDC’s latest information on safer sex, social gatherings and monkeypox and CDPH’s Safer Sex & MPX fact sheet.

If you have symptoms:

Reach out to a health care provider to get checked out. If you don’t have a provider or health insurance, visit a public health clinic near you.

Take a break from sexual and intimate contact as well as attending public gatherings.

Isolate from others you live with.

Wear a mask and cover rashes if needing to be around others and when visiting a health care provider.

Public Health provides a webpage with multiple resources, including a Q&A and communications toolkit with fact sheets, videos and social media assets for the public, community organizations, health care providers and media outlets.