Clinicians should be alert to mpox in patients with compatible symptoms. Many cases so far have identified as men who have sex with men. Evaluation, testing, and proper infection control can happen in any clinical setting.
Educate your clients, and test them.
- Information on testing. The process has changed recently to be much easier. No permission from the CDC or state/local public health is required, and commercial labs are beginning to offer orthopox testing. Turnaround times are typically 1-3 days from the time the lab receives the specimen. There is plenty of testing lab capacity at this time. Testing is important to stop transmission and to get an accurate case count locally so our state can receive adequate vaccine from the CDC. Currently, Clackamas Public Health is not offering mpox testing. However, testing is available and can be requested through private and public healthcare providers.
- Information about proper PPE for evaluating and testing folks, and general infection prevention guidance for your clinic.
- While suspected mpox isn’t a notifiable condition, OHA is requesting that clinicians connect with them about suspected cases online or by calling the Oregon Public Health Division 24/7 on-call line at 971-673-1111.
- Here is clinical guidance for caring for folks with mpox infection. Schedule regular check-ins with patients with mpox infection (we suggest at minimum a twice weekly phone call to check-in about symptoms), including an in-person visit to verify when the rash has resolved completely/when they can discontinue isolation.
- Reach out to the Oregon Health Authority at 971-673-1111 (epi on-call number) if you need clinical consultation with an on-call public health clinician either to determine if testing is needed, or to discuss whether treatment is needed for a confirmed case.
- If you don’t see lab results within 5 days or so, reach out to the lab. Contact the patient with lab results whether the results are positive or negative. The health department will only see results if they are positive, so it is important for you to track results and call patients.
