Monkeypox Testing & Treatment Services

We are proud to offer testing and treatment services to combat the recent outbreak of the Monkeypox virus currently spreading across the United States.

The first step in receiving testing or treatment services is scheduling a Telemedicine visit with one of our providers. To be seen today, click the button below.

For a full breakdown of the costs associated with testing, please CLICK HERE.

What you need to know.

CDC is tracking an outbreak of monkeypox that has spread across several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the United States.
The monkeypox virus is spreading mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox.
You can take steps to prevent getting monkeypox and lower your risk during sex.
CDC recommends vaccination for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and people who are at higher risk of being exposed to monkeypox.
If you have any symptoms of monkeypox, talk to your healthcare provider, even if you don’t think you had contact with someone who has monkeypox.
CDC is urging healthcare providers in the United States to be alert for patients who have rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox.
Tecovirimat may be considered for treatment in people infected with monkeypox virus if they qualify based upon certain criteria.

Monkeypox Symptoms.

People with monkeypox get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) and could be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.

The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.

Other symptoms of monkeypox can include:

Fever
Chills
Swollen lymph nodes
Exhaustion
Muscle aches and backache
Headache
Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

You may experience all or only a few symptoms

Sometimes, people have flu-like symptoms before the rash.
Some people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms.
Others only experience a rash.

How long do monkeypox symptoms last?

Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.

Monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

How it spreads.

Monkeypox spreads in a few ways.

Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:
- Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
- Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
- Contact with respiratory secretions.

This direct contact can happen during intimate contact, including:
- Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus (butthole) of a person with monkeypox.
- Hugging, massage, and kissing.
- Prolonged face-to-face contact.
- Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with monkeypox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.

A pregnant person can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by preparing or eating meat or using products from an infected animal.

A person with monkeypox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Scientists are still researching:

If the virus can be spread when someone has no symptoms
How often monkeypox is spread through respiratory secretions, or when a person with monkeypox symptoms might be more likely to spread the virus through respiratory secretions.
Whether monkeypox can be spread through semen, vaginal fluids, urine, or feces.

How to protect yourself.

Monkeypox prevention steps.

Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.

Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox.
Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.

Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.

Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.

Wash your hands often.

Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom.

In Central and West Africa, avoid contact with animals that can spread monkeypox virus, usually rodents and primates. Also, avoid sick or dead animals, as well as bedding or other materials they have touched.

Treatment.

There are no treatments specifically for monkeypox virus infections. However, monkeypox and smallpox viruses are genetically similar, which means that antiviral drugs and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat monkeypox virus infections.

Antivirals, such as tecovirimat (TPOXX), may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill, like patients with weakened immune systems.

If you have symptoms of monkeypox, you should talk with a StarMed healthcare provider through a Telemedicine visit, even if you don’t think you had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

Important Treatment Consideration.

Tecovirimat may be considered for treatment in people infected with monkeypox virus:

With severe disease (e.g., hemorrhagic disease, confluent lesions, sepsis, encephalitis, or other conditions requiring hospitalization)
Who are at high risk of severe disease:
- People with immunocompromising conditions (e.g., HIV/AIDS, leukemia, lymphoma, generalized malignancy, solid organ transplantation, therapy with alkylating agents, antimetabolites, radiation, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, high-dose corticosteroids, being a recipient with hematopoietic stem cell transplant <24 months post-transplant or ≥24 months but with graft-versus-host disease or disease relapse, or having autoimmune disease with immunodeficiency as a clinical component)
- Pediatric populations, particularly patients younger than 8 years of age
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
- People with a history or presence of atopic dermatitis, people with other active exfoliative skin conditions (e.g., eczema, burns, impetigo, varicella zoster virus infection, herpes simplex virus infection, severe acne, severe diaper dermatitis with extensive areas of denuded skin, psoriasis, or Darier disease [keratosis follicularis])
- People with one or more complication (e.g., secondary bacterial skin infection; gastroenteritis with severe nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, or dehydration; bronchopneumonia; concurrent disease or other comorbidities)
With aberrant infections involving accidental implantation in eyes, mouth, or other anatomic areas where monkeypox virus infection might constitute a special hazard (e.g., the genitals or anus)

Costs.

StarMed Healthcare maintains our own in-house laboratory, which significantly reduces the costs for testing (approximately 50% less expensive on average).
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) requires two (2) tests to be performed per patient to confirm positive or negative results. Each test requires 2 swabs on 2 separate lesions (4 total swabs).
You must complete a provider telemedicine visit to determine testing eligibility.
The CDC also requires swabs for herpes, chickenpox, and syphilis during testing for monkeypox.
The total out of pocket cost if you DO NOT have insurance is $275.
If you DO HAVE insurance, there may be a copay or deductible associated with the testing and provider visit. This cost is determined by your insurance provider.

Schedule your Telemedicine Visit.

The first step in receiving testing or treatment services for monkeypox is scheduling a Telemedicine visit with one of our providers. To do this, click the button below.