If you tested positive for mpox, that means you have mpox infection. You should know:
Careful hygiene and skin care are very important. This can help the body heal from mpox.
Mpox is contagious, so take steps to prevent spreading mpox to others. Stay away from others and take extra precautions until the rash has totally healed.
The health department may contact you directly either by phone or text message. This is to make sure you receive important health information about mpox. They can also help anonymously notify people who may have been exposed. Call your local public health department if you have any questions.
Make sure you get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It has been common for someone with mpox to also have gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, or HIV. These infections need different treatment.
Many people have questions when they get diagnosed with mpox. Some common questions are answered below.
How did I get mpox?
Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is spread person-to-person. It can take up to 21 days for symptoms to show up after mpox exposure.
Most infections have been associated with recent sexual or intimate contact with someone who had mpox. It can also spread through sharing personal items or living in the same home as someone with mpox.
What are the symptoms of mpox?
Mpox can start with symptoms such as:
Fever
Sore throat
Low energy
Swollen lymph nodes
Body aches
Within about 3 days, a rash or sore(s) develops. The rash usually lasts 2-4 weeks.
It can look like a pimple or blisters and may feel painful or itchy.
The rash or sore(s) may be located anywhere on the body. This includes the genitals (penis, testicles, and vagina), groin, or anus (butt).
Most mpox infections are mild, which means most people can recover at home. Sometimes, infections can be more severe. Risk of severe mpox and hospitalization are highest for people with weakened immune systems.
How do I take care of mpox rashes?
Keep rash clean and dry (when not bathing). Generally avoid using skin creams, lotions, or ointments unless directed by your doctor.
When showering, wash rash areas gently with warm water and mild unscented soap—do not scrub. Gently pat rash areas dry with a disposable paper towel. To avoid spreading the rash, use washcloths only once before laundering.
Keep rash covered up with a bandage, gauze wrap, or clothing. This helps the skin heal and reduces the chance of spreading virus.
Wash hands with soap and water every time after touching the rash and when changing bandages. This helps prevent spreading mpox rash around your body or spreading mpox to others.
Do not pop, pick at, or scratch any mpox rash, bumps, or scabs. This makes it harder for the skin to heal. It can also cause the rash to spread and leave scars.
Do not shave near the area until the rash is fully healed. This can irritate the skin and spread the rash around your body.
Avoid using contact lenses or touching your eyes. It is very important to prevent spreading mpox into your eyes. Seek care if you have mpox near or in the eyes, since treatment will be needed to prevent vision loss.
How can I keep my rash covered?
Clean, dry bandages (if the sore is wet or oozing)
Clean, dry gauze wraps (if the sore is wet or oozing)
Comfortable clothing (pants, long sleeve shirts, socks)
Face mask (covers facial/oral sores and respiratory droplets)
Once these items touch your rash, they are also considered contagious. Used bandages and gauze wraps should be disposed of in the trash. Used clothing and linens should be kept in a disposable trash bag. It should be washed separately from others’ clothes or linens.
Wear gloves to avoid exposure when handling used laundry, bandages, or gauze wraps.
Is there specific treatment for mpox?
There is no specific approved treatment for mpox. Most treatment focuses on managing symptoms and taking care of the skin while your body is healing.
An antiviral medicine called Tecovirimat (or TPOXX) was studied earlier in the mpox outbreak. Unfortunately, it was not effective in treating non-severe (milder) mpox infections. It did not help with pain or help them heal quicker.
Currently, antiviral medicines are only recommended for certain situations. This includes people who have a weakened immune system, certain skin conditions, mpox in the eyes, or other severe illness.
Talk with your health care provider if you have mpox and:
You are worried about your healing or feel you may be getting worse.
You have questions about your health or medication(s).
You have HIV, a weakened immune system, eczema, psoriasis, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. These health conditions may increase risk for severe mpox illness. Additional treatment may be recommended.
How can I help my symptoms at home?
Talk with your doctor or health care provider if you need help managing your symptoms. Common recommendations may include:
For pain:
For itching:
Soaking in a warm, oatmeal bath can help with dry, itchy skin.
Calamine lotion or petroleum jelly can provide temporary itching relief. How to use:
Make sure to wear gloves when applying. Apply it gently to each itchy sore/bump using a clean cotton ball or a gloved finger.
Avoid touching oozing or open sores. Avoid popping open the bumps or sores. Avoid spreading lotion or jelly across the body, since this can risk spreading the rash.
Dispose of used gloves and cotton balls in the trash. Then wash your hands well with soap and water.
Your doctor or pharmacist may also recommend an oral allergy medicine to help reduce itching.
For mouth sores:
Use warm, salted water to rinse mouth (swish and spit out) at least four times a day. This can help heal sores and reduce mild pain.
If your mouth is very painful, ask your doctor for a prescription numbing mouthwash.
For genital or anal sores:
A sitz bath (sitting in warm, shallow water with baking soda or Epsom salt added) can help with discomfort. Sitz baths can be taken for 10 minutes several times a day. This can be done in a bathtub or a sitz bath basin, which can be bought online or at a pharmacy. Disinfect the bath between uses.
Eat a high fiber diet and drink plenty of water to prevent constipation. This includes foods like oatmeal, prunes, fruits, beans, or whole grain bread.
Your doctor or pharmacist can recommend additional treatments to help reduce pain.
Get plenty of rest, eat healthy, and stay hydrated. Mpox usually lasts 2-4 weeks. Most infections are mild and heal with good skin care and supportive medicines.
When should I seek urgent (same day) medical care?
If you have mpox rash or lesion(s) near your eyes. This can lead to vision loss if not treated immediately.
If you have worsening pain or skin redness, warmth, swelling, or discharge (pus).
If you have difficulty voiding (peeing or pooping) or if there is blood in the urine or stool.
If you have difficulty swallowing, eating, or drinking.
If you have changes to your voice, hoarseness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
If you feel you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency room. Let them know you have mpox when you arrive.
How do I know if the rash is healing?
Mpox rash can occur anywhere on the body and new bumps can develop over time.
Rashes often look different throughout the illness as the rash starts to heal. It is common to have mpox lesions, sores, or bumps that look different from one another—this can mean they are in different stages of the rash’s cycle:
Stage 1: Flat skin spots (usually lasts 1-2 days).
Stage 2: Raised skin bump (usually lasts 1-2 days).
Stage 3: Skin bump fills with clear fluid. It can look like a blister at this stage (usually lasts 1-2 days).
Stage 4: Skin bump fills with yellowish, cloudy fluid. It can look like a pimple at this stage and sometimes develop a small hole in the middle. This stage usually lasts about a week.
Stage 5: Skin bump starts to dry out and scab over. Scabs usually remain for about a week before they fall off.
Stage 6: Once the scab falls off—with fresh, new skin underneath—the lesion is healed.
Mpox stops being contagious when all existing lesions have healed and no new lesions have developed. This usually takes a couple weeks. Mpox can take longer to recover in people who have a weakened immune system. Talk with your health care provider if you have questions.
What should I do once I recover?
Disinfect and clean your entire living space one final time. Wash any remaining used clothing and linens. The virus can survive for a while on surfaces and can still expose others to mpox.
Use sunscreen when exposed to the sun. Some people may have skin discoloration on healed mpox rash areas. This can look like darker or lighter areas on the skin.
The mpox vaccine is not recommended. Having a past mpox infection provides similar protection against future infection. It is very rare to get mpox more than once.
Take care of your sexual health. It has been common for people who got mpox to also have HIV or sexually transmitted infections (STI).
What should I do to prevent spreading mpox?
Stay at home, away from others.
Stay in a private bedroom as much as possible. Use a private bathroom if possible. Avoid physical contact with others.
In common areas, wear a face mask and keep the rash covered.
Avoid sharing household items. Items that touched mpox rash, scabs, or body fluids can spread mpox to others.
Avoid sharing items like dishes, eating utensils, towels, or bedding.
Keep your laundry and trash separate from others.
Avoid using shared / common areas. Disinfect shared areas (like bathroom or kitchen) after each use.
Ask a friend or family member to help with pets, young children, or family members who need direct care. If this is not possible, make sure rash is totally covered. Wear a fitted face mask and use disposable gloves when providing care.
If you have mpox rash on your hands: Wear disposable gloves when handling items or touching shared surfaces. Discard gloves after each use.
Avoid touching the rash. Keep the rash clean, dry, and covered up except when showering or changing bandages.
Wash hands with soap and water often. This is especially important after you touch the mpox rash. Unwashed hands can spread mpox rash more around your own body or expose others. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol may also be used.
Notify close contacts who may have already been exposed. This is important so they know to watch for symptoms and get tested if they have a rash. Close contacts should also get the mpox vaccine if they have not already gotten both doses.
These extra precautions are needed until the rash has totally healed. This usually takes several weeks.
How do I tell people about mpox exposure?
Notify your close contacts as soon as possible. Close contacts usually include:
Recent sex or intimate partners.
Notify partners you saw in the 3 weeks before symptoms started, who may be unaware if they had mpox. Also notify any partners you saw while you may have had symptoms.
Partners can be exposed from sex (oral, anal, or vaginal sex—with or without a condom). Exposure can also be from other intimate activity (cuddling, kissing, massage, using toys or fetish gear).
People in your household (roommates, friends, or family) while you had symptoms.
Others with close physical contact while you had symptoms.
This may include services with skin-to-skin contact such as barbers, hairdressers, estheticians, or massage therapists.
Call your health department if you have questions or need help notifying someone confidentially. See CDC Information on Notifying Close Contacts for more information.
Can my pet get mpox?
Mpox can infect different types of mammals. CDPH does not believe that mpox currently poses a high risk to pets. However, if you have mpox you should still take precautions:
Avoid contact (e.g., petting, feeding, sharing sleeping areas) with pets
Ask a friend or family member to care for pets until you are fully recovered
How can I clean and disinfect my home?
Mpox can survive on household surfaces for a while, which may expose others. Clean and disinfect your own living spaces to avoid exposing others. The best way to clean for mpox is:
Collect trash into a disposable trash bag in a dedicated trash bin.
Wear gloves when handling trash like bandages, paper towels, food, or other waste. Dispose of gloves after use.
Collect used clothes and linens for laundry.
Wear gloves when handling used clothes, linens, or fabric items. Dispose of gloves after use.
Keep in a disposable trash bag (use once) or washable fabric bag (wash with load).
Clean and disinfect hard surfaces. This includes commonly touched surfaces like countertops, tables, doorknobs, faucets, toilet, light switches.
Household disinfectants that kill COVID-19 also work against mpox. Do not mix cleaners or cleaning products.
Follow directions on the bottle for disinfection. Typically, surfaces must be sprayed until visibly wet. It must then be left wet for at least several minutes so the cleaner has enough time to kill the virus. The amount of time can vary depending on the cleaner used, so check the bottle. Dry with a disposable paper towel afterward if needed.
For a list of cleaners approved for mpox, see EPA List Q Disinfectants.
Clean soft surfaces, like upholstered furniture.
Clean carpet and flooring.
Wet cleaning methods—like mopping, wipes, or sprays—is preferred for mpox.
Avoid dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming. If you must vacuum, wear a N-95 mask respirator.
Throw away used cleaning materials and then remove gloves.
Wash your hands.
Learn more about cleaning and disinfecting for mpox.
What about laundry?
Used laundry can expose people to mpox. Laundry from a person with mpox should not be mixed with others’ laundry. It is recommended that the person with mpox handles their own laundry to avoid exposing others.
Can I still go to work?
People with mpox should stay at home or away from others until they have recovered. This is to prevent exposing others and give the body time to heal. If someone must go out in public spaces: keep the rash covered and wear a well-fitted face mask at all times.
Contact your health department if you:
Work in health care.
Work a job with close physical contact (like massage therapy or care provider).
Work in a group setting (like a jail, school, or child care).
Are not able to keep the rash covered at all times or cannot wear a well-fitted face mask.
Have questions about whether you need to tell your employer. The health department will determine if there is exposure risk in the workplace. They can help with any next steps, if needed.
How can I take time off from work?
Like other illnesses, you may be able to request a doctor’s note if mpox illness is impacting your ability to work.
Talk with your employer’s human resources (HR). They can provide information about what benefits may be available for illness. This may include resources such as paid sick leave, FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act), or short-term disability insurance.
Some people may qualify for financial support from California’s State Disability Insurance. If you are applying, your health care provider will need to fill out supporting paperwork about your illness.
How can I contact someone from the health department?
See this list of local health departments with their contact information. It may help to request their STI (STD) program or their communicable disease program. Let them know you have questions about mpox.