Larimer County Administrative Services, District Attorney, Courts, Ranch, and Landfill will be closed on December 25, 2024, to celebrate the Christmas Day holiday.
Critical county services are not disrupted by closures.
Jynneos vaccines are available at many locations in Colorado. If you have questions about whether Mpox vaccination is right for you, please give us a call at 970-498-6700. The Jynneos vaccine is fully licensed for people 18 years of age and older, and available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for people under 18 years of age who are at high risk for mpox exposure. Please call our clinic at 970-498-6700 to make an appointment or speak to a health care provider.
Mpox is a rare virus, but it can be serious for some people who get sick. Currently, the risk to the general public is low. Mpox can spread from person to person when someone who has mpox has close contact with someone else. Close contact can mean physical contact with the sores, bumps, or lesions of someone who has mpox. Close contact includes sex. Mpox can also spread through touching the bed linens or clothing of someone who has mpox. Mpox can also live on other surfaces for some time. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus.
Mpox has recently been spreading in parts of the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It is endemic in central and west Africa. Recent data suggest people who have recently traveled to a country where mpox has been reported or men who have sex with other men are at heightened risk.
The type of mpox spreading in the United States is rarely deadly and has a fatality rate of less than 1%. In fact, in most cases, mpox will resolve on its own.
Mpox can spread in different ways. It can spread from person to person when someone who has mpox has close contact with someone else. Close contact can mean physical contact with a sick person’s sores, bumps or lesions or through prolonged, face-to-face interactions with someone who is sick. Close contact includes sexual contact. Mpox can also spread through touching the bed linens or clothing of someone who is sick. Recent cases in the United States have been infected through person-to-person contact. Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus.
It’s also possible for people to get mpox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by preparing or eating meat or using products from an infected animal. However, this has not happened with recent cases in the United States.
For some people, mpox can feel like the flu at first. Early symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Most people get a rash or skin bumps one to three days after they first start feeling sick. This rash usually starts on the face and then spreads to the arms and legs. Sometimes, the rash may start in the genital area. Some people don’t feel any symptoms before they get a rash. Mpox can look like syphilis, herpes, blisters, or even acne.
Most people recover from monkeypox within two to four weeks.
Public health experts recommend mpox testing for people who have a new rash, lesions, or sores with pus and could have had close contact with someone who was infected. The test for mpox involves swabbing a skin lesion. Providers send the swab into a lab for testing to detect viruses in the orthopoxvirus genus.
If you have symptoms of mpox, contact your healthcare provider for testing, or call the Health Department at 970-498-5500 for assistance.
Public health specifically recommends vaccination for people who may be at higher risk based on data from recent outbreaks, including:
Anyone who has had close physical contact with someone who has mpox in the last 14 days.
Anyone who:
Has multiple or anonymous sexual partners, or
Has close physical contact with other people in a venue where anonymous or group sex may occur, or
Was diagnosed with gonorrhea or syphilis in the past six months, or
Is living with HIV, or
Is immunocompromised and anticipates potential mpox exposure, or
Already uses or is eligible for HIV PrEP (medication to prevent HIV, e.g. Truvada or Descovy or Apretude), or
Has sex in exchange for money, shelter, food, and other goods or needs.
Anyone identified by public health as a known high-risk contact of someone who has mpox.
Anyone whose sexual partner identifies with any of the above scenarios.
Anyone who anticipates experiencing any of the above scenarios.
If you have questions about whether vaccination is right for you, talking with a health care provider can help you learn more. Please call our clinic at 970-498-6700 to make an appointment or speak to a health care provider.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is also offering mobile vaccination clinics at select locations locally and throughout the state. View the schedule and register for an appointment here.
NOTE: Clinics offering mpox vaccines will have "mpox" or "monkeypox" in the event title. A full list of available vaccines per clinic can be found by selecting "Clinic Details".
