Houston hospitals preparing in case of Monkeypox outbreak

HOUSTON - The CDC is raising its alert level for Monkeypox to level 2, which means they recommend travelers wear masks, among other health measures.

Local hospitals are preparing in case of an outbreak in Houston.

Monkeypox: What you should know as the disease spreads around the world

So far, there have been 21 cases of Monkeypox in the U.S. connected to the current outbreak.

Dr. Luis Ostrosky is an infectious disease expert with UT Physicians and says it is a matter of time before we get our first case locally.

"We are fully expecting to have cases locally in Houston since it is a very international city, very diverse, lots of travel, and commerce. So all of the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center are actively looking for cases," said Ostrosky. "What we need is to do a lot of education for the general public and the physicians about any of their patients, so that we don’t miss a case."

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Early symptoms are flu-like and include fever, achy muscles, fatigue and sore throat. Sounds like the same early symptoms for Covid, but there is a big difference.

"Monkeypox requires very prolonged intimate contact with a very prolonged time with someone who is experiencing the illness. It isn’t like you are walking on the same sidewalk you are going to get it or work in the same office. You really need to live in the same household and have prolonged contact to be able to transmit it," he said.

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Dr. Ostrosky says the good news is that in the United States has a large stockpile of smallpox vaccines. 

If necessary, a large portion of the population can be vaccinated very quickly.