Jessica Amaya 
EDINBURG– Local health officials advise on the new virus, Monkeypox after an increasing number of cases in the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 1,079 cases of Monkeypox in Texas to date. As of August 17, Cameron County confirmed the first case in the valley.
Assistant Professor for Microbiology and Immunology, Dr. Seratna Guadarrama-Beltran shared the viral disease is similar in size to the coronavirus, and that a high proportion of cases have been linked to males who are sexually active with other males.
“As the introduction of Monkeypox has been connected with social networking,” said Dr. Guadarrama-Beltran. “The social network makes it easier for the virus to spread and one of the best places where the virus has encountered or evolved to spread is in that anal genital area.”
Guadarrama-Beltran mentioned Monkeypox takes about two to four weeks for the viral disease to develop and be detected, but people can be contagious during this time.
Some of the symptoms are fever, backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and skin-to-skin contact. If you suspect you’ve been exposed to Monkeypox, health officials recommend a lab test at a local drugstore.
