Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors hears Monkeypox update

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors heard an update on the Monkeypox outbreak during a hearing on Tuesday morning.

Santa Barbara County Public Health presented information on cases, vaccination activities, and the latest developments with regards to the outbreak.

One major takeaway is that “Monkeypox is not a death sentence.”

The risk to the public is extremely low and the virus is much less contagious than COVID-19, as it is spread by prolonged skin to skin contact or via droplets during close face-to-face contact, public health officials said.

Santa Barbara County Public Health urges the public to take basic precautions to avoid the spread of Monkeypox, including limiting the number of intimate partners, avoiding intimate contact with people who have skin lesions, and disclosing to partners the presence of skin lesions or symptoms.