The first possible case of monkeypox has been detected in DuPage County, health officials said on Friday, making it the third reported in Illinois.
The case was found in a man who traveled abroad in the last month to a country that also recently reported monkeypox infections, the DuPage County Health Department said.
Initial testing was completed with the Illinois Department of Public Health and is now undergoing confirmatory testing at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Based on the initial epidemiological characteristics and the positive result of the orthopoxvirus in IDPH, health officials believe it is a likely monkeypox infection,” the DCHD said in a statement.
Health officials said the case remained isolated and there was no indication of a higher risk of spread, “because monkeypox is not as easily spread as the COVID-19 virus.”
The latest case comes amid a series of cases reported in the United States and several other countries, health officials said Thursday.
Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral disease that often begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes and progresses to a rash on the face and body, health experts said. It was first observed in Africa in 1970 and is commonly found in the western and central parts of the continent.
The CDC is on the alert after cases of the virus have been reported in several countries that do not typically report cases of monkeypox, including the United States.
On Friday, the CDC reported 49 confirmed cases in a number of states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
“Usually in a normal year, we see a few cases, mostly in West Africa, involving animals,” said Dr. Alison Aruadi, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “There are animals that can carry it, and we’ll see, you know, a few dozen cases where people can only be infected by contact with animals. The reason to pay more attention is that at that time there were somewhere between 100 identified cases that were not related to the typical way we see monkeypox. “
The virus comes from the same family as smallpox, and the World Health Organization is also urging people to be vigilant after nearly 200 confirmed or suspected cases have been reported in at least 12 Western countries. Officials say most of these cases have occurred in Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
“What makes this a little different is the number of cases and the countries involved,” said Dr. Irfan Hafiz of McHenry and Huntley Hospital in Northwestern Medicine.
The CDC said the “cases involved people who identified themselves as men who had sex with men”, but stressed that anyone could be infected through prolonged contact.
We already have approved vaccines and treatments for monkeypox
Hafiz, a specialist in infectious diseases, said the virus causes symptoms similar to several diseases, including chickenpox or smallpox.
“To the average person, it can look like chickenpox or warts,” he said. “But these (wounds) are usually in open areas.”
Health experts also said the disease could be mistaken for a sexually transmitted infection such as syphilis or herpes, or the varicella zoster virus.
Federal health officials are urging doctors in the United States to consider diagnosing monkeypox in people who have a persistent rash, especially if they meet any of the following criteria:
- He has had contact with someone who has had a monkeypox-like rash or someone who has been diagnosed with confirmed or probable monkeypox
- He had skin-to-skin contact with someone on a social network suffering from monkeypox; this includes men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital app (app) or social event (eg bar or party)
- Travel outside the United States to a country with confirmed cases of monkeypox or where the activity of monkeypox continues
- He has had contact with a dead or live wild animal or an exotic pet that exists only in Africa or has used a product derived from such animals (eg game meat, creams, lotions, powders, etc.).
The virus is rarely fatal, with symptoms ranging from fever, pain and rashes all over the body.
“Suspected cases may present with early flu-like symptoms and progress to lesions that may begin in one part of the body and spread to other parts,” said the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The CDPH said that human-to-human transmission is possible through “close physical contact with monkeypox wounds, objects that have been contaminated with liquids or wounds (clothing, bedding, etc.), or through respiratory droplets after prolonged exposure.” face to face contact. “
“It’s not just your accidental handshake,” Hafiz said. “Contact should be (longer), more pronounced. Technically, it is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it involves close contact. “
“It takes a long time (contact), not minutes,” added NBC News Medical Officer Dr. Cavita Patel. “(May include) body fluids or lesions.”
Infections usually last between two and four weeks, the CDPH said.
Health officials said that anyone with “a new or unexplained rash, sores or symptoms or confirmed exposure” should “visit their healthcare provider and” avoid sex or intimacy with anyone until they are seen.
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