The St. Clair County Health Department has issued an awareness bulletin regarding Monkeypox, which has been declared a public health emergency nationwide by the CDC. In the bulletin, Liz King, the Director – Health Officer at the Health Department advised that county residents not panic, but be aware, as one case of Monkeypox has been reported in St. Clair County.
King said that Monkeypox is very different from COVID-19 in several ways: it is not “novel” like COVID was. It has been around for a long time and much is known about it. There are treatments and a vaccine.
The Health Department is investigating communicable diseases and conducting surveillance for outbreaks.
Monkeypox is a virus that is spread through close contact with an infected individual who has symptoms. It can also be spread through prolonged face-to-face contact, or contaminated materials such as clothing or bedding, although less commonly. Brief interactions with an infected person are not considered to be high risk.
Symptoms include headache, fever, muscle aches, exhaustion, and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash, and lesions one to three days after the onset of illness. The illness can last up to three weeks.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
