Monkeypox

While there are no longer dozens of new cases a week, health experts say people should still be vigilant.

Recovering from monkeypox can take a financial toll. Abounding Prosperity is working with city officials to provide relief.

A flyer advertising a pop-up clinic for monkeypox vaccines in Dallas this month had information about the date, time, and location. It had a QR code so people could book appointments. But it also contained something disturbing: a cartoon drawing of a solitary African American man smiling about his new vaccine.

The case was confirmed at Arlington Heights High School. The district did not identify the person who tested positive, and it was not clear whether the case was in a student or an adult.

The person was immunocompromised, and officials said Tuesday they are trying to determine what role the virus played in the death. This is Texas' first death of someone with monkeypox.

Rates of new cases are declining in major cities, suggesting public health campaigns are working. But the spread

The number of monkeypox cases in Texas has surpassed 1,000 — an increase of more than 50% since last week. The state’s count also includes Texas’ first presumptive pediatric case in Harris County.

Abounding Prosperity, Inc. is hosting monkeypox vaccine clinics this week in South Dallas to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Animal carriers of the virus include various rodents, dogs, primates, hedgehogs and shrews, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are more than 700 reported cases of the virus in Texas with dozens more “presumptive cases.” Local officials said more vaccines should be headed to the state following a declaration by the White House that the virus is now a public health emergency.

Declaring a public health emergency can free up resources to help the administration respond to the monkeypox outbreak. So far more than 6,000 people in the U.S. have been infected.

KERA’s Sam Baker talked about the virus with Dr. Trish Perl, a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in general infectious diseases.