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Monkeypox continues spreading across North Texas
There are 76 cases of monkeypox that have been reported in the state over the last month. 28 of those cases are from the North Texas region. Officials say vaccines are the best way to prevent symptoms, but not everyone who wants one can get one.
New monkeypox cases continue to pop up across the state.
It's primarily spread by men who have sex with other men.
A vaccine can prevent breakouts, but the CDC says the current supply won't meet the demand.
There are 76 cases of monkeypox that have been reported in the state over the last month. 28 of those cases are from the North Texas region.
Officials say vaccines are the best way to prevent symptoms, but not everyone who wants one can get one.
About five weeks ago, the first known case of monkeypox in Texas was from a patient in Dallas who had traveled from Mexico. And according to Mexican authorities, he previously traveled from Europe where the global monkeypox outbreak began.
By Friday, the statewide case count reached 76. All the known patients so far have been men.
In this photo illustration, blood test vials are seen in front of a screen that says ''Monkeypox'' (Photo illustration by Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"The majority of the cases we are seeing are in the gay, bisexual man or men who are having sex with men," said Chris Van Deusen with the Dept. of State Health Services. "That seems to be the community it is spreading in right now."
The monkeypox vaccine, if administered within four days of exposure, can protect someone from getting sick.
"This is unlike some vaccines. The vaccines can actually be effective after someone has been exposed and contracted the virus," Van Deusen said.
But doses aren’t widely available right now. There’s only one safe vaccine on the market, and it’s made by a Danish company.
On Friday, the Biden administration says it ordered another two and a half million doses from that company, bringing the total doses coming to the U.S. to five million in order to meet demand.
However, they are expected to arrive over the next several months or early next year.
There have been reports of shortages in other state like New York, where monkeypox is more widespread.
As a result, the Biden administration on Friday also announced it would distribute another 131,000 doses from its current supply. But an exact number wasn’t set for Texas.
"It’s not that they are shipping 10k doses to Texas and we’re managing that," Van Deusen said. "It really is ‘Okay, Texas. Here is your supply. we’ve got it set aside for you. Let us know when you need it.’ And they ship it right out."
Van Deusen says there is enough vaccine to meet demand in Texas right now, but it’s only being given to people who have been exposed.
A small shipment coming to Tarrant County next week is earmarked only for those people.
"So if you’re someone who thinks you may be at higher risk of exposure, it’s likely you won’t get one right now," Van Deusen said. "Now as we go down the road and even more doses are available, we may be able to expand that out and start vaccinating other people who may be at higher risk."
The Biden administration also announced efforts to increase testing capacity, which has also been very patchy.
When the outbreak started, the U.S. could only process 6,000 tests per week. The CDC says it paired with five companies to increase that capacity to 70,000.