By Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – The first case of the monkeypox virus has been confirmed in McLean County.
The McLean County Health Department is collaborating with the Illinois Department of Public Health to complete contact tracing for the case to identify any close contacts and provide vaccines to those identified as an exposure risk.
“The monkeypox virus does not spread as easily between people as what we have seen with the virus that causes COVID-19,” said Jessica McKnight, Administrator of McLean County Health Department. “But anyone in close contact with a person with MPV can get it regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
According to the CDC, person-to-person transmission is possible through close physical contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores, or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact.
Monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus.
You may experience all or only a few of the symptoms of monkeypox:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus
While there currently is no specific treatment approved for MPV infections, antiviral drugs used to treat smallpox can sometimes be used, as smallpox and monkeypox viruses are genetically similar.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
