As of July 20, 2022, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) is reporting a total of 52 monkeypox cases in Dallas County residents since the start of the outbreak, including local transmission connected to a previously reported incident of local exposure.
The threat of monkeypox to the general Dallas County population remains low. Monkeypox is rare and does not spread easily between people without close, personal, skin-to-skin contact. Men who have sex with men and who engage in high-risk sexual activities make up a larger proportion of cases identified to date. However, the risk is not limited to the LGBTQ community, and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk. Monkeypox vaccine is now in low supply and can only be offered to those with known skin-to-skin contact with a confirmed monkeypox case.
Monkeypox is spread through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids or sores of a person with monkeypox. Monkeypox virus can also spread between people through respiratory droplets typically in a close setting, such as people living in the same household or in a healthcare setting. Persons with monkeypox may develop symptoms such as a fever, swollen lymph nodes and general body aches before developing a rash. People should seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of monkeypox.
For more information, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html
Locations of Potential Monkeypox Exposure
Daddyland Festival. DCHHS is aware of exposures at the well-attended Daddyland Festival and associated after parties that pose a potential risk for community monkeypox transmission. While we have received a large volume of calls from persons who attended these festivities and are worried for their health, the risk to many of those with transient or unknown exposure at the Daddyland Festival is low. All attendees are encouraged to monitor themselves for symptoms of fever and rash through 21 days after their last day at these events and should alert an emergency medical provider of monkeypox suspicion, prior to entering any healthcare facility for testing.
Club Dallas. DCHHS has also received notification of an out-of-State MSM visitor with confirmed monkeypox who had multiple sexual encounters at Club Dallas’s sauna between June 22 and June 25, while the traveler was infectious. Persons who visited Club Dallas during these dates are advised to monitor themselves for possible monkeypox signs and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of monkeypox.
