CLEVELAND — Health departments in Cleveland and Lorain County both reported local monkeypox cases Friday afternoon.
CLEVELAND
According to the Cleveland Department of Public Health, there are 11 cases of monkeypox in the city as of Friday.
CDPH is conducting contact tracing and will receive a small number of vaccines to distribute to targeted groups who are at risk. City health officials will work with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health on a distribution strategy for the vaccine.
Cleveland Director of Public Health Dave Margolius said on Twitter that the White House declaring monkeypox a Public Health Emergency means it will make things easier to coordinate treatment in the city.
White House has declared MPX a public health emergency. What does that mean for Cleveland? (1/x)
— Dave Margolius (@DaveMargo) August 4, 2022
CLICK HERE for more information.
LORAIN COUNTY
A Lorain County resident is also isolating after contracting a case of monkeypox, according to Lorain County Public Health.
LCPH was notified about the case by the Ohio Department of Health. Officials said the risk to the public at this time remains low.
“We have been closely monitoring the monkeypox outbreak in the United States. We are monitoring the person, and we continue to reach out to all known close contacts to help prevent the spread of this disease,” said LCPH Commissioner Mark Adams.
Here are the signs and symptoms of monkeypox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
People with monkeypox get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus and could be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.Other symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
- The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
You may experience all or only a few symptoms
- Fever
- Chills
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Exhaustion
- Muscle aches and backache
- Headache
- Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
- Sometimes, people have flu-like symptoms before the rash.
- Some people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms.
- Others only experience a rash.
In order to prevent the spread of monkeypox, LCPH recommends the following:
- Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
- Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom.
“It’s important that people understand how to protect themselves from monkeypox so they can make informed choices when in situations or places where monkeypox could be spread,” Adams said.
According to Adams, monkeypox spreads through close personal contact with someone via fluid or pus from sores. Specifically, monkeypox can spread the following ways:
- Person-to-person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs or body fluids.
- Respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, such as while kissing, cuddling, or sex.
- From pregnant person to fetus through the placenta.
- Touching things that were used by a person with monkeypox, including sheets, towels, and other objects that touched the infectious rash or body fluids.
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The CDC said if you have a new or unexplained rash or other symptoms of monkeypox, "avoid close contact, including sex or being intimate with anyone, until you have been checked out by a healthcare provider."
As of Thursday, CDC data shows 38 people in Ohio have contracted monkeypox and more than 7,100 people across the country have been infected. For a state by state breakdown of cases, click here.
RELATED: Incoming Cleveland Public Health Director urges coordination dealing with monkeypox
Last month, News 5 spoke with Margolius, who was the division director of internal medicine at MetroHealth before becoming the Cleveland director of public health, about the disease arriving in Ohio. You can watch more in the player below:
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