El Paso’s first Mpox case of 2025 reported
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Public Health Department just reported the city's first Mpox case of the year. The patient is a man in his 50s who is currently recovering at home.
Public health officials are not contact tracing and the epidemiology team is contacting the man's close contacts and offering the vaccine to those people.
Mpox is a viral infection that spreads by skin-to-skin contact. Health officials say it can be transmitted from certain animals to humans. Mpox causes a distinctive, itchy rash that will progress through several stages, including scabs, before healing completely.
Other symptoms include fever, chills, exhaustion, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure. Health officials say a person is contagious from the time symptoms appear to when the rash has fully healed. They recommend avoiding skin-to-skin contact with people displaying a rash and washing your hands frequently.
“We urge everyone at-risk to remain vigilant in practicing preventive measures to protect themselves and their families,” said Dr. Hector Ocaranza, City-County Health Authority. “This includes safeguarding our most vulnerable community members from not only Mpox, but also other diseases like COVID-19 and the flu.”
