Hidalgo County reported another case of monkeypox on Monday, raising the total number of cases in the county to nine.
The new case is the first one the county has reported since Oct. 3.
Latest figures from Friday show there are a total of 18 cases throughout Public Health Region 11, a 19-county region in South Texas that includes the four counties of the Rio Grande Valley, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Throughout the entire state of Texas, there have been a total of 2,699 confirmed cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There are a total of 28,302 confirmed cases throughout the U.S.
Though new cases continue to arise, the average of cases reported on a daily basis is on a downward trend nationwide.
The average number reported daily during a seven-day period had reached 446 cases on Aug. 7 but that has since dropped to 30 as of Oct. 26.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back aches, lymphadenopathy, and chills. They also include exhaustion that is followed by a rash within one to three days after the appearance of a fever, according to county health officials.
An atypical presentation of the disease would consist of the rash being the first or only symptom to develop.
The illness can last two to four weeks.
The virus can spread through direct contact with infectious sores, scabs, respiratory droplets, mucous secretions, or contact with contaminated objects or surfaces such as bedding.
Exposures during the current outbreak have commonly been through close intimate contact with other people, wrestling, kissing, touching, hugging, or sex.
The incubation period for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days but it can range from five to 21 days. Anyone who has been exposed should monitor themselves for symptoms for 21 days.
Individuals who think they may have contracted monkeypox or have been in contact with someone with monkeypox are asked to contact the county health department at (956) 318-2426.
