SAN ANTONIO – An inmate at the Bexar County jail is being treated for monkeypox, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
BCSO told KSAT on Saturday night that the inmate was taken to the hospital on Oct. 11. They will remain at the hospital until they are cleared to return to the jail.
“This is not an airborne virus,“ BCSO spokesperson Sandra Pickell said. ”It is only contagious by touching the lesion itself or by close physical contact of the lesion, rash or scab and does not live on surfaces.”
The inmate‘s cellmate was moved to the infirmary for an assessment, Pickell said.
“Furthermore, Classification checked for any other possible housing exposures,” she added.
Monkeypox, also known as mpox, is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that is in the same family as the one that causes smallpox, according to the Associated Press.
Milder symptoms can include fever, chills and body aches. In more serious cases, people can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
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