CDPH: 2nd probable case of monkeypox reported in Illinois

Fri. June 3, 2022 4:32 PM by GoPride.com News Staff

cdc is urging healthcare providers in the u.s. to be alert

photo credit // cdc.gov

'The risk to the general public remains low,' CDPH tweeted

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced Friday a second probable case of monkeypox has been detected in the city.

The latest case was a close contact of the first probable case, which was reported Thursday.

"The risk to the general public remains low," CDPH tweeted. "While the risk is small, you can be cautious."

The first Chicago case was reported in an adult man who recently traveled to Europe. 

Health officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed while the first Chicago resident was contagious. 

Monkeypox cases usually happen in West and Central Africa. But several people have been diagnosed recently in Canada, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the U.S.



Anyone can get or spread monkeypox, but the CDC last week issued a warning to gay and bisexual men because many of the people affected globally so far are men who identify as gay or bisexual.



Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it can spread through intimate contact during sex when someone has an active rash. It can spread through direct contact with bodily fluids or through contact with contaminated clothes or bed sheets, according to the CDC.



Monkeypox is not easily transmittable, and community spread is currently limited.



Chicago-based LGBTQ health provider Howard Brown Health said in a May 20 press release that it is “closely monitoring for monkeypox in our Chicago communities.”



The release continued, “Howard Brown primary care providers are taking precautions and will be screening patients for monkeypox who present possible symptoms.”



Initial symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, headache, fever, muscle aches and fatigue. The disease then progresses into a rash and lesions that blister and scab over.



Monkeypox patients in the current outbreak have recovered within a month without any specific treatment, according to the CDC. There have been no deaths reported.



For more information, visit cdc.gov
 

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