The current outbreak of monkeypox in the U.S. has reached Arkansas, with state health officials identifying the first case on Tuesday.
The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a total of 559 monkeypox cases have been identified in 32 states. Common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and a painful rash that can occur as many as one to two weeks following exposure.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Arkansas Department of Health Director Dr. Jennifer Dillaha said the virus is typically spread through much closer contact than what’s typically seen with COVID-19.
“It would be either skin-to-skin contact or close contact with clothing or something that has touched the rash and then someone else touches that, but it’s not just an easy pass-by kind of touch, it’s going to be prolonged touch,” Dillaha said.
Dillaha did not give specifics of where the state’s first case is located, or whether the person had recently traveled out of state. She said there are currently two vaccines available to help counter the effects of the disease once people are exposed.
“Our Outbreak Prevention and Response branch has staff that follow up with [the] patient and learn about their history, where they’ve been, who their contacts are. And then we work with the contacts to make sure that they know about the exposure,” Dillaha said.
Dillaha said the Health Department will be conducting contact tracing, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, as more cases will likely be identified in Arkansas. But unlike the coronavirus, she says the virus that causes monkeypox is much less transmissible.
“Fortunately, if someone learns they have been exposed, if they can get vaccinated within four days it may prevent them from getting the illness completely. If they get vaccinated with, say, four to 14 days, it may not prevent them from getting the illness but it may lessen the severity of it,” Dillaha said.
Dillaha said COVID-19 also has a far shorter incubation period compared to monkeypox, which could last up to a few weeks.
So far, no deaths have been reported in the current monkeypox outbreak in the U.S. Dillaha says immunocompromised people and those with skin conditions like eczema are at a higher risk for more severe outcomes from contracting the disease.
