Monkeypox makes first local appearance

There is at least one confirmed case of monkeypox in Lorain County.

“We are currently monitoring a case in the county and we are just making sure we get our information and messaging out to people,” said Jo Anne Ferritto, director of community health for Lorain County Public Health.

“Anybody can get monkeypox,” Ferritto said. “It’s spread through direct skin contact with somebody who has it.”

Ferritto said the public should be aware of the threat, but “the risk to the general public is still very low.

“The majority of the cases being seen across the United States are among men who having sex with men,” Ferritto said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention those who contract monkeypox “get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus and could be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face or mouth.”

The rash can go through several stages, including scabbing, before healing. It can

also initially look like pimples or blisters and can be itchy, according to the CDC.

Other symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches, back and headaches, and respiratory symptoms, like a sore throat, cough, or runny nose.

Monkeypox can spread when the fluid that fills the pox comes in contact with another person.

Health experts said that can occur when shaking hands, hugging or kissing.

Health experts urge those who think they have contracted the disease to contact their health provider or local health department.

County health officials learned of the local case Aug. 5.

Treatment includes antivirals, Ferritto said.

Typically, those who catch monkeypox display symptoms within one-tothree weeks of exposure and then experience symptoms for two-to-four weeks, Ferritto said.

Typically, those who catch monkeypox display symptoms within one-to-three weeks of exposure and then experience symptoms for two-to-four weeks, Ferritto said.