Pasadena City Manager Cynthia Kurtz proclaims monkeypox a local emergency

Cynthia Kurtz, Interim City Manager, declared a local emergency to increase the city’s preparedness and ability to respond to the infection.

Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) is widening the qualifying criteria for the vaccine, effective immediately, in an effort to stem the spread of monkeypox and make the monkeypox vaccine more available to those most at risk.

Kurtz stated:

“We are continuing to work proactively to protect the health of our community, and this proclamation allows us to mobilize more resources. This local emergency will allow us to continue to support our community members who are currently most at-risk, while also to better prepare for what’s to come.”

PPHD currently has 15 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in Pasadena. According to the California Department of Public Health, there were 2,356 cases as of August 17.

The proclamation authorizes the City to take any and all actions necessary to implement preventive measures to protect and preserve public health, including, but not limited to, mobilizing City resources, accelerating emergency planning, streamlining staffing, coordinating across other agencies, expediting the City’s ability to purchase necessary supplies to combat monkeypox, allowing for future reimbursement by the state and federal governments, and raising awareness through public education.

Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency earlier this month to aid the state’s response against monkeypox. Los Angeles and Orange Counties have also issued similar proclamations to increase their preparedness.

PPHD continues to deliver monkeypox vaccines by invitation only to the following individuals identified through public health investigations:

• Gay or bisexual men and transgender people who had several or anonymous sex partners in the previous 14 days, including survival and/or transactional sex (e.g., sex in exchange for shelter, food and other goods and needs).
  Individuals who have been confirmed to have had high- or intermediate-risk contact with a monkeypox carrier, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• Individuals who attended an event/venue where there was a significant chance of skin-to-skin or sexual contact with a proven monkeypox virus carrier. Public health experts will collaborate with event/venue organizers to identify attendees who may have been exposed while at the venue.
• People experiencing homelessness (PEH) who engage in high-risk behaviors.
• People identified as being in high-risk groups by clinical professionals in the LA County Jail system.
• Gay or bisexual men and transgender people who have been diagnosed with gonorrhea or early syphilis within the last 12 months; or – Are on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); or – Have attended or worked at a commercial sex venue or other venue where they had anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners within the last 21 days (e.g., saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs, sex

Vaccine eligibility and access information will be kept up to date at http://www.cityofpasadena.net/monkeypox.

Monkeypox is a viral infection that spreads through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) infected with secretions from monkeypox sores. Although monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection, it can be transferred during sex through prolonged skin-to-skin and other intimate contacts, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.