Marquette County Health Department: ‘Monkeypox isn’t the next coronavirus’
There are no monkeypox cases in Michigan right now and it is only contagious from prolonged close contact
MARQUETTE COUNTY, Mich. (WLUC) - Monkeypox isn’t the next coronavirus and there is no need to panic, the Marquette County Health Department (MCHD) said Tuesday.
The first U.S. case was identified last week, and additional cases are being found and investigated. Michigan currently has no cases.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 and the first human case was reported in 1970. Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, exhaustion and a rash that spreads across the body making it a highly visible disease. It is fatal in up to 10% of infections. Human monkeypox was first reported in the U.S. in 2003, when 47 confirmed and probable cases were reported. Scientists have studied monkeypox for decades and vaccines and treatments are available, the MCHD says.
Transmission of monkeypox from human to human has been thought to occur mainly through large respiratory droplets, meaning that prolonged face-to-face contact is required; contact with bodily fluids or lesions, or contact with contaminated clothing or linens. Recent cases suggest a potentially novel means of spread via sexual contact.
Clinicians should consult their local health department if they suspect monkeypox; if the local health department cannot be reached, notify MDHHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Prevention for case evaluation and specimen testing coordination at 517-335-8165 or, if afterhours, at 517-335-9030. CDC Emergency Operations Center (770-488-7100) is another resource as soon as monkeypox is suspected.
Resources:
CDC Monkeypox Info: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html
CDC Health Alert Network Summary: https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2022/han00466.asp
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