While there are no known cases of monkeypox in the Valley or the neighboring state of Tamaulipas, there are 556 infection on record in the state of Texas.

Nationwide, the case count is doubling weekly.

The World Health Organization and the U.S. declared monkeypox a public health emergency. Doctors have said that while the current outbreak is mainly affecting gay men, it’s not a sexually transmitted disease – and anyone can get it.

Symptoms of the virus include, headaches, rashes, and blisters.

“You don't have any reported cases, you probably have cases because we know it's circulating,” San Antonio AIDS foundation epidemiologist Cherise Rohr-Allegrini said. “It's out there."

There are currently no vaccines for monkeypox available because there are no reported cases. Health experts recommend the public to avoid physical and intimate contact with people that are infected, especially those that have lesions on their skin.