The Hawaii Department of Health has identified four new cases of monkeypox throughout the state, including one on Hawaii Island.
The Hawaii Island case has been attributed to community exposure, while the other three cases remain under investigation.
As of June 3, there have been two confirmed cases of monkeypox on Hawaii Island, and 22 cases statewide.
As of Wednesday, there have been 16,603 confirmed cases of monkeypox nationwide.
“It’s expected that we will see more cases in Hawaii,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Nathan Tan in a press release. “We continue to work to conduct contact tracing and follow-up with all cases. We encourage individuals to get vaccinated to stop the spread of monkeypox and protect our community.”
The Jynneos vaccine is a two-dose series administered 28 days apart.
The DOH has received roughly 4,400 doses so far, and roughly 1,800 have been administered in Hawaii.
As of Monday, 340 vials of the Jynneos vaccine have been distributed on Hawaii Island.
The DOH confirmed it is continuing to order Hawaii’s full allocation from the federal government.
The Jynneos vaccine is available to eligible residents 18 and older who are in the following groups:
— People who have had close contact in the last 14 days with a person with known or suspected monkeypox infection;
— Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and transgender individuals who have multiple or anonymous sex partners;
— Anyone with severe immune compromise (advanced or poorly controlled HIV infection, active cancer treatment, high-dose steroids) or certain skin conditions, such as eczema, and who have a household member or sex partner at high risk for monkeypox.
Hilo Medical Center on Wednesday confirmed it has not yet treated a monkeypox patient, but has a plan of action for handling any suspected cases. The plan includes identifying close contacts, isolating the patient, limiting visitors to essential only, using gloves and eye protection, and contacting the Hawaii Department of Health.
Monkeypox is mainly spread through close, intimate contact with body fluids, lesion material or items used by someone with monkeypox.
It can also be spread through large respiratory droplets, which cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged contact is required.
Common symptoms begin within one to three days of exposure and include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, rashes that initially look like pimples or blisters that are painful or itchy. Symptoms typically last between two to four weeks with a case fatality ratio around 3% to 6%.
Appointments for vaccination on Hawaii Island can be made by contacting the Hawaii Department of Health at (808) 586-4462.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.