Monkeypox and Meningococcal Disease Outbreak Updates

Monroe County, Fla. — The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) continues to respond to the monkeypox and meningococcal disease outbreak.  Residents and visitors are encouraged to learn more about these diseases and take appropriate precautions to ensure they stay protected.

Media Briefing

  • View the media briefing held on August 16 with Dr. Ulyee Choe, County Health Systems Statewide Medical Director, FDOH, at https://youtu.be/-XAR5nGmN6o. Dr. Choe covers important statewide updates pertaining to the current monkeypox and meningococcal disease outbreaks in Florida.

Contact Tracing

  • Contact tracing for monkeypox continues to be conducted at the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County (DOH-Monroe). Contact tracing is used to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, identifying people with a disease and people they contacted to stop disease spread.

“Contact tracing lets people know they may have been exposed to an infectious disease and helps educate them as what to do next for their own health and the health of others,” said Bob Eadie, Health Officer and Administrator for the department.  “Close contact notification is handled in a respectful and confidential manner that is compliant with HIPAA regulations.”

Testing and Vaccinations 

  • The CDC recommends people who think they have monkeypox or have had close personal contact with someone who has monkeypox to visit a healthcare provider to help them decide if they need to be tested.  Testing is widely available in commercial labs.
  • People can familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of monkeypox at www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html 

“Dr. Choe also provides updates in the media briefing about the prevalence of meningococcal disease in Florida and the populations that are at risk for both monkeypox meningococcal disease,” said Dr. Mark Whiteside, Medical Director for DOH-Monroe.  “In response to the current outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease in Florida, CDC is encouraging gay and bisexual men to get a MenACWY vaccine if they live in Florida.”

  • CDC recommendations for monkeypox and meningococcal vaccines can be found using the following links:

www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/vaccines.html

www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mening/hcp/recommendations.html

The latest data and information about Monkeypox can be found at: tinyurl.com/monkeypoxfl. Residents and visitors of Monroe County should call their healthcare provider or the local health department (305-293-7500) with questions related to monkeypox and meningococcal prevention, testing and/or treatment.

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