CDC confirms probable case of monkeypox in Clark County
A probable case of monkeypox in a Clark County resident has been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Southern Nevada Health District said Monday.
The case was first reported by the district on June 15. The individual, a man in his 20s who recently had traveled within in the U.S., did not require hospitalization and is isolating at home.
No additional cases of monkeypox have been reported in the county.
“I think it’s important to know that the community risk is low at this time,” Kimberly Franich, communicable disease manager for the district, said during a briefing last Wednesday.
Monkeypox spreads from person to person through close physical contact with infectious monkeypox sores, bodily fluids, contact with objects or fabrics that have been used by someone who has monkeypox, sexual contact, or prolonged face-to-face contact.
Although outbreaks of the disease are occurring globally and in the U.S., the disease remains rare. Based upon limited information, overall risk of monkeypox is low in the U.S., the health district said.
It causes symptoms beginning with fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes followed by development of a rash. The incubation period is usually between seven to 14 days but can range from five to 21 days.
People who are immunocompromised, young children, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those with certain skin conditions may be more at risk for severe illness.
Franich said people with unknown rashes or lesions should contact their health care provider for an assessment and avoid sex and being intimate.
As of Friday, the U.S. outbreak of the rare virus had grown to 113 confirmed cases across 20 states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC. Globally, there have been 2,525 confirmed cases in 37 countries, the federal agency said.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name. The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter.
