Clark County can expect to see more cases of the once-rare monkeypox virus in the weeks ahead, even as the rate of new cases appears to be declining, officials said this week.

Ariel Ganja, who works at the Chicken Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, said she plans to get vaccinated for monkeypox as soon as possible.

The new client at the Huntridge Family Clinic suspected he had monkeypox when he noticed a single small bump on the top of his left foot. Within hours, more blisterlike bumps appeared on his hands and thighs, and testing confirmed his suspicion.

Wastewater surveillance earlier this week detected the monkeypox virus in samples at most of Clark County’s wastewater treatment plants, signaling a potential increase in cases, a researcher said Thursday.

The virus was detected in sewage in the south of the state about a month ago.

The Southern Nevada Health District announced that there are 185 probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox in Clark County as of Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Wastewater detectives in Las Vegas are gearing up to look for the polio virus after it recently was found in sewage in New York and London.

Our response to the monkeypox outbreak should be informed by what we learned from the COVID pandemic ensuring the fair distribution of vaccines and research.