WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Though monkeypox doesn’t spread like COVID-19, doctors say it spreads through close physical contact, and we should be cognizant of the disease as more and more cases are reported across Southern California.

Dr. Carl Millner, the Western Bureau regional medical director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, says his office has seen eight confirmed monkeypox cases and two pending in the last month alone.

“It is a daunting issue that we are taking again very seriously, and we want the community to know to please, please get vaccinated," Millner said. 

As he read a weekly briefing from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, Millner confirmed most cases of monkeypox are still among men who have sex with men, but it isn’t limited to this community. He says monkeypox spreads through skin-to-skin and/or bodily fluid contact through sex or prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets. 

“If you come in contact with someone who has known monkeypox, you have a window of about two weeks to get a vaccine to reduce the chances of you developing full blown, with the greatest window being the first four days," Millner explained. 

If you think you have monkeypox, isolate and call your doctor. Symptoms are rash and flu-like. Cases usually clear up on their own within a couple weeks.