Mpox Healthcare Provider Resources

Patient Evaluation

• If a patient is seeking care to evaluate for rash or lesions, please consider checking for common causes of sexually transmitted diseases in a patient with risk factors.
  • Helpful tips: Rash often starts in the genital/perianal area and then progresses to face, arms, palms, and soles. Sometimes rash will only involve the genital areas. The typical progression of each stage of rash is about 1-2 days. Lesions will scab usually within 7 to 14 days. 

• An updated health advisory from the CDC informs providers that individuals who are immunocompromised due to HIV or other conditions are at a higher risk for severe manifestations of Mpox than people who are immunocompetent. 
• Healthcare providers should recognize underlying risk factors for severe disease and consider treating immunocompromised people by initiating medical countermeasures (such as tecovirimat) early to prevent or mitigate severe manifestations of Mpox.

When evaluating a potential suspect, please test all sexually active adults and adolescents for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes.

CDC encourages providers to discuss Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and the Mpox vaccine for the following eligible groups:

• Gay, bisexual, or other man who has sex with men or a transgender, nonbinary, or gender-diverse person who in the past 6 months has had any of the following:
  • You have a sex partner with any of the above risks
  • People who anticipate experiencing the above risks, including individuals with multiple sex partners
  • People who anticipate experiencing any of the above scenarios
• Healthcare workers in settings where you may be exposed to Mpox:
  • You work with orthopoxviruses in a laboratory
• People who anticipate experiencing the above risks, including individuals with multiple sex partners
• More than one sex partner
• Sex at a commercial sex venue
• Sex related to a large commercial event or in a geographic area (city or county for example) where Mpox transmission is occurring
• Sex in exchange for money or other items

• Sex with a new partner
• Sex at a commercial sex venue (e.g., a sex club or bathhouse)
• Sex in exchange for money, goods, drugs, or other trade
• Sex in association with a large public event (e.g., a rave, party, or festival)

For more information on severe manifestations of Mpox among people who are immunocompromised due to HIV or other conditions, please visit CDC Clinical Considerations for Monkeypox in Immunocompromised People.

Specimen Collection and Testing Criteria

• The current presentation of Mpox mimics symptoms commonly seen in sexually transmitted diseases. Please continue to screen and test those affected according to the latest CDPH Health Advisory (2025) and SBCDPH Orthopox Testing Guidance.

Specimen Collection

• Please refer to the CDC guidance for the preparation and collection of specimens for details: Preparation and Collection of Specimens | Mpox | Poxvirus | CDC (2024)

Laboratories

• Aegis Science
• Labcorp
• Mayo Clinic Laboratories
• Quest Diagnostics
• Sonic Healthcare

Public Health Laboratory

See SBCDPH Orthopox Testing Guidance. 

The use of the Public Health laboratory is reserved for high-priority specimens as commercially available testing is now available. High-priority specimens include clusters of cases and severe illnesses requiring hospitalizations. Contact your local laboratory for commercially available testing options. If one is not available to you, you may send your specimen to the San Bernardino County Public Health lab.

CDPH Healthcare Provider Health Advisory

Click here to view Updates on Laboratory Testing and Treatment for Mpox Virus Infection in California.

Treatment

Tecovirimat (also known as TPOXX or ST-246) is an antiviral drug approved by the FDA in 2018 to treat smallpox in adults and children. TPOXX is available in a capsule form (each capsule containing 200 mg of tecovirimat) or as an intravenous (IV) solution.  

Currently, there is no FDA approved treatment specifically for Monkeypox (Mpox).  Most patients with Mpox have a mild, self-limited infection that can be managed with supportive care and pain management.  Tecovirimat (TPOXX) monotherapy was not effective in treating mild-to-moderate Mpox in clinical trials. Providers can find information on supportive care suggestions for patients with Mpox by visiting CDPH Supportive Care Suggestions.

TPOXX may be considered in patients with severe Mpox disease or those who are at high-risk for severe disease, such as immunocompromised (HIV/AIDS, cancer, on medication that suppresses immune function). This antiviral therapy is available through CDC Expanded Access Investigational New Drug (EA-IND) protocol and may be considered after consultation with your Local Health Department (LHD).  

For further details regarding Tecovirimat, visit CDPH Mpox Tecovirimat Treatment Information for Providers. 

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Providers with patients who meet the tecovirimat treatment eligibility under section 2.1 of the EA-IND protocol (e.g.,  patients who are at high risk for complications due to severe immunocompromise, have compromised skin integrity, or are children, pregnant or lactating), should contact the San Bernardino County (SBC) Department of Public Health at CDS@dph.sbcounty.gov to inquire about prepositioned oral tecovirimat supply that may be available within SBC jurisdiction.  

For more information on the TPOXX treatment for your patients, please visit the CDC Tecovirimat (TPOXX) for Treatment of Monkeypox.

Providers and facilities must register online with the Tecovirimat (TPOXX) IND Registry for Providers/Facilities as participating sites under CDC EA-INH to receive tecovirimat under the protocol. Once completed, the facility will be eligible to request treatments from the SBC Department of Public Health. 

In addition, providers must complete the following forms: 

1. Patient Consent Forms:
   1. Obtain consent form from the patient before treatment: Informed Consent Form (English) / Informed Consent Form (Spanish)
   2. Alternative short consent forms are available. However, the provider must present both the written and oral summaries: Short Consent Form (English) and Written Summary (English) or Short Consent Form (Spanish) and Written Summary (Spanish)
2. Patient Intake Form: To perform a baseline assessment, follow instructions in the TPOXX IND Online Registry
3. Clinical Outcome Form: Progress and outcome information post-treatment can be accessed through the electronic form: TPOXX IND Online Registry.
4. Serious Adverse Events: Per FDA requirement, report life-threatening or serious adverse events associated with tecovirimat by completing a MedWatch Form and returning it to CDC via email to regaffairs@cdc.gov within 72 hours of awareness. The MedWatch form can also be downloaded from the FDA website at MedWatch Forms for FDA Safety Reporting.   

Required Tecovirimat (TPOXX) Facility Form:

FDA Form 1572: Facilities must complete the FDA Form 1572 before receiving the treatments. Once completed, the facility will be eligible to request treatments from the SBC Department of Public Health.