Indio wastewater being tested for monkeypox

The Valley Sanitary District in Indio has begun collecting samples to test for the presence of monkeypox.

This week marks the start of a new program in which samples will be taken three times a week and tested for the virus.

Officials said it could give a clearer picture of monkeypox's spread, and might show even more cases than what public health reported.

"It's a real bellwether for what's happening," said Valley Sanitation District General Manager Beverli Marshall. "Oftentimes what we'll see is the indications long before somebody gets sick, long before somebody is going to the doctor or getting tested."

Lab supervisor Anna Bell brought News Channel 3 through the process. She said the district is partnering with researchers at Stanford and Emory universities to get an accurate read of infectious disease in the community. "For the monkeypox sample, they've decided that solid material works better. So what we'll do is we'll collect the solids out of the primary sludge," Bell said.

The district serves 85,000 customers, but wastewater is a useful tool to monitor tourists coming and going while testing for monkeypox remains limited.

"Someone who might get sick after they've left and gone home, but would have shed the virus while they were here," Marshall said. "Being able to test for that could really indicate if we're having these ebbs and flows based on our tourism."

Marshall expects once the first results return, they'll show higher rates of monkeypox than what is being reported by public health.

"There's so much more that wastewater has done and can do," she said "We are demonstrating that we have information to add."

The first samples have gone out for lab testing and results take about 48 hours to return.

Resources

There are a number of ways to prevent the spread of monkeypox, including:

• Always talking to your sexual partner/s about any recent illness and being aware of new or unexplained sores or rashes on your body or your partner’s body, including on the genitals and anus
• Avoiding close contact, including sex, with people with symptoms like sores or rashes
• Practicing good hand hygiene
• People who become infected should isolate until their symptoms are improving or have gone away completely. Rash should always be well covered until completely healed.
• Using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) (like a mask, gown, and gloves) when caring for others with symptoms
• Avoiding contact with infected materials contaminated with the virus
• Avoiding contact with infected animals

Monkeypox is generally spread through intimate skin-to-skin contact, resulting from infectious rashes and scabs, though respiratory secretions and bodily fluids exchanged during extended physical episodes, such as sexual intercourse, can also lead to transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Symptoms include fresh pimples, blisters, rashes, fever and fatigue. There is no specific treatment. People who have been infected with smallpox, or have been vaccinated for it, may have immunity to monkeypox.

People with symptoms are urged to visit a medical provider, cover the rash area with clothing, wear a mask and avoid close or skin-to-skin contact with others.

The CDC particularly recommends those steps for people who recently traveled to an area where monkeypox cases have been reported or who have had contact with a confirmed or suspected monkeypox case.

A full list of countries that have confirmed monkeypox cases is available at wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/monkeypox.
A state-by-state tally of cases is available at www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/us-map.html.

Link: CDC’s tips for preventing exposure to Monkeypox. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.