TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Austin Public Health is waiting for the results from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm a presumptive monkeypox case in Travis County. APH is working alongside the Texas Department of State Health Services in this ongoing investigation.

The Travis County resident was not hospitalized and is currently isolating at home. APH is conducting contact tracing and reaching out to those the resident might have had close contact with while infectious. The resident came in close contact with someone who had traveled out of state and is also under investigation for a case of monkeypox.

"While the threat of monkeypox remains low, we recommend that all Travis County residents be aware and seek medical care if you believe you have symptoms of the virus,” said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes. “While our local health care providers are working with epidemiologists to monitor the virus, the community should continue the hygiene practices we know work such as handwashing and minimizing skin-to-skin contact, especially with those showing rashes or sores.”

APH says monkeypox is rare and doesn’t spread without close contact between people. The virus spreads between people through direct contact with infectious rashes and scabs.

It can also be spread by touching items such as clothing and linen that had contact with infectious rash or body fluids as well as respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face or intimate contact.

Symptoms of monkey pox include swollen lymph nodes, chills, a rash that goes through multiple stages before healing, exhaustion and muscle aches.

To avoid the virus, APH recommends:

  • Use PPE when caring for others with monkeypox
  • Practice good hand hygiene
  • Avoid contact with materials that have been in contact with the virus
  • Minimize skin-to-skin contact with rashes and sores

The CDC is currently investigating 173 monkeypox cases in the United States, at least five of which are in Texas. The first case of the virus in the Lone Star State was confirmed in Dallas County earlier this month.