California declared monkeypox as a state of emergency on Aug. 1 and Santa Clara County and San Jose State have been gearing up for the fight against it.
The monkeypox virus has spread throughout the state and Santa Clara County, with 110 total confirmed cases as of Saturday. The county public health department said it expects more cases in the coming months.
The SJSU Student Health Center stated in a campuswide email that it will continue to provide updates for everything the campus community needs to know about the virus.
“We learned much about what we need to do to prepare for future outbreaks from COVID-19 and continue to get our guidance from [the] CDC, local PHD and OSHA,” the Student Health Center stated. “We will utilize those communications and preventions should there be an outbreak on campus.”
Monkeypox is a virus that is related to the smallpox virus, but is generally less severe and less contagious, according to the Student Health Center campuswide statement.
It is usually spread through skin-to-skin contact and people who contract the virus may have a rash that initially looks like blisters, which can be painful and cause itching, according to the same campuswide statement.
The rashes can occur on various body parts but they’re mostly found near genitals, anus, hands, feet and mouths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Monkeypox webpage. Other symptoms include fever, chills and exhaustion.
There are 14,115 cases total in the U.S. as of Saturday. California accounts for about 19% of cases nationwide with 2,663 cases, according to the same CDC webpage.
The virus has also disproportionately affected gay and bisexual men.
CDC data shows there’s a high concentration of monkeypox cases among gay and bisexual men, though anyone can catch the virus through close contact.
“The thing with monkeypox is that anyone can get it,” said Aaron Groff, Santa Clara County Public Health Department communications officer. “It just happened to start in this social network.”
SJSU students have expressed some anxiety toward contracting monkeypox, especially as it has been nearly two and a half years since California declared the coronavirus as a state emergency.
Microbiology junior Rafael Fernandez said he has learned from his experiences during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been more cautious.
“Yeah, ever since COVID happened, I've been very particular with what I do. I tend to not go out as much as I used to,” Fernandez said. “I've been sanitizing and trying to be as careful as possible. Especially knowing that people will be in contact with people who could get sick and not possibly recover as well as others.”
Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU senior director of media relations, said SJSU’s policy toward a potential case within the university community follows the CDC guidelines on quarantining and treatment.
The quarantine period for monkeypox can vary depending on the case’s severity. The CDC recommends that one should quarantine until the rash goes away and a new layer of skin forms, according to its treatment webpage.
Regarding vaccinations and testing, the SJSU Student Health Center and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department both offer monkeypox tests to those who are at risk.
Students can request tests from the Student Health Center if they believe they might have contracted the virus or if they’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
Testing is currently available through Valley Connections Medical Center or at the Valley Health Center Downtown Urgent Care office for walk-ins.
Valley Connection is the appointment line for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s primary care clinics, according to its website.
Monkeypox vaccinations are also starting to become more readily available to county residents.
Santa Clara County recently announced that it will be able to administer five times as many vaccinations through a new method that involves injecting the vaccine intradermally as opposed to its previous method of injecting subcutaneously.
Intradermal injections are injections that occur just under the top layer of the skin; these injections are commonly used for skin testing.
“Intradermal injections has been used with other medical procedures like tuberculosis skin testing and essentially allows more doses out of one vial to be used,” Groff said.
As of now, only men and transgender people who have sex with men, and sex workers and people who’ve been in close contact with someone who contracted monkeypox are eligble to receive a vaccine dose in the county, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health monkeypox webpage.
Fernandez said he hopes to see SJSU continue to educate students and faculty on the virus.
“I think San Jose State should continue to educate people on what monkeypox is and inform them that it's dangerous and that we should be careful about what we are doing,” he said.
Smith McDonald said the university has already disseminated campuswide communication and updated its websites.
“Additionally, we will be sharing prevention messages in all spaces that may be high risk and we are looking for support from student organizations to help promote prevention messages,” Smith McDonald said in an email.
