The N.C. Department of Health & Human Services has confirmed the first positive case of monkeypox within the state, in Haywood County.
The Cherokee County Health Department is working closely with DHHS to remain up to date on all aspects of prevention, treatment, spread and risk factors identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, according to a release from Health Director David Badger. At this time, he said there is no significant risk identified for the public.
Haywood public health officials have been working closely with the DHHS to identify potential contacts. The individual is isolating at home. In respect of their privacy, no other details surrounding the case will be released.
Monkeypox is a rare, but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with chickenpox. Most infections last 2-4 weeks.
Some people are at a higher risk for getting monkeypox, including:
u people who have had contact with someone who had a rash that looks like monkeypox or someone who was diagnosed with confirmed or probable monkeypox;
u people who have had close contact, such as skin-to-skin contact, with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, including men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application (“app”) or social event (e.g., a bar or party);
u people who traveled to an area where monkeypox activity has been ongoing may also be at a higher risk.
In this outbreak, monkeypox is transmitted from person to person through direct contact with infectious rash or body fluids or through respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex. While anyone can get monkeypox, the release says many current cases are in men who have sex with men.
Infection with monkeypox virus begins with an average incubation period of 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days. A person is not contagious during this period. The contagious period begins with the onset of symptoms.
The first symptoms include fever, headache, malaise, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. Following the initial onset of symptoms, lesions will develop in the mouth and on the body and will progress through several stages. A person is contagious from the onset of symptoms through the scab stage of lesions.
People can take basic steps to prevent the spread of monkeypox. If you have an unexplained rash, sores or other symptoms, see your health-care provider; if you don’t have a provider or health insurance, visit a public health clinic near you.
Keep the rash covered and avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been checked out.
Thankfully, the monkeypox virus can be killed by common household cleaners and detergents. For details, visit the website www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html.