Tracy city councilman talks about mounting monkeypox problems after diagnosis
TRACY - From a simple single welt to painful blisters and backaches, we've heard one extreme to the other about monkeypox.
"I thought it was a bug bite," said Tracy City Councilman Dan Arriola. "It was a little sore underneath my armpit. And so I didn't think twice about it."
Arriola talked with CBS13 over Zoom while still in isolation. While he thought it was just a bug bite, when it lead to a fever, he went to his doctor.
"I think that's one of the frustrating parts and ultimately one of the reasons I decided to testify," said Arriola.
Arriola told the Senate Select Committee on monkeypox about a mountain of challenges, starting with his doctor not having testing supplies. That forced him to go to the emergency room for a simple swab. He then had a five-hour wait and then the nurses didn't know how to process it. Arriola says they were researching as they worked with him.
"Not only are we still recovering from COVID but for a lot of the LGBTQ community, this is really triggering and reminiscent of what we saw during the AIDS/HIV crisis," said Arriola.
This, as the Chief Medical Officer at SF General says monkeypox hospitalizations have increased over the past few days.
"This really speaks to the need to try to get vaccinations out there to the community," said Dr. Lukejohn Day, Chief Medical Officer of Zuckerberg SF General Hospital.
Arriola is now pushing for better treatment and prevention. San Joaquin County initially had just ten doses of the vaccine.
"I think we have an opportunity right now because it is still so new. If we have the available resources we can nip it in the bud before it gets worse," said Arriola.
Arriola says San Joaquin County is set to get 750 doses of the monkeypox vaccine this week but says he will continue pushing for better education for the community and healthcare providers to be better prepared to handle illness.
