OTTAWA – Public health officials have identified the first probable case of monkeypox virus in a LaSalle County resident. The case is considered probable until confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Authorities are working to complete contact tracing for the case to identify any close contacts and provide vaccines to those identified as an exposure risk. At this time, LaSalle County Health Department has not identified any additional cases in the county. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details relating to the patient will be disclosed.
According to Chris Pozzi, LaSalle County Health Department Administrator, “at this point in the investigation there is no indication there is a great risk of local spread of the virus. MPV does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus and typically requires close skin-to-skin contact. However, people should be aware of symptoms and that anyone in close contact with a person with MPV can get it regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
According to the CDC, person-to-person transmission is possible through close physical contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact.
Monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus. You may experience all or only a few of the symptoms of monkeypox:
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache • Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
People who do not have monkeypox symptoms cannot spread the virus to others. However, anyone in close contact with a person with monkeypox can get it and should take steps to protect themselves.
