Maricopa County reports new case of mpox

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Maricopa County health officials have confirmed a new case of mpox, the first reported case of the disease since January.

The person who was diagnosed with mpox is fully vaccinated, has mild symptoms and is recovering at home, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health said in a news release on May 19.

Officials recommend taking precautionary measures against mpox, such as using sunscreen, following heat safety tips and staying informed on vaccines.

"Like we see with other vaccines, while vaccination may not prevent disease completely, it will reduce the severity of disease," said Dr. Nick Staab, medical epidemiologist at MCDPH. "Last summer’s mpox outbreak led to many hospitalizations and some deaths in the U.S. People being aware of the risk of mpox in our community and getting vaccinated can prevent severe disease and decrease the spread."

This electron microscopic (EM) image depicts monkeypox virus particles, obtained from a clinical specimen associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. This is a thin section image of a specimen of human skin. On the left are oval-shaped mature viru (Photo by: CDC/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Expand

Clusters of mpox cases around the U.S. have health agencies warning that the spring and summer could lead to a resurgence of the disease.

For the latest case numbers, resources, vaccine availability: https://maricopa.gov/Mpox

Symptoms of mpox include: