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Illinois up to 10 monkeypox cases; IDPH working with CDC to investigate

By Shaw Local News Network
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP)

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP) (AP)

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported Thursday the state now is up to 10 monkeypox cases, with eight confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nine of the state’s cases are in Chicago, and one is in DuPage County.

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a rash on the face and body. Most infections last two-to-four weeks.

“While Monkeypox is a rare disease and does not spread easily between people without close contact, IDPH officials urge the general public to be aware of the small but growing number of cases that have been identified. The threat of monkeypox to the general U.S. population remains low,” IDPH officials said in a news release. “IDPH staff are working with the Chicago Department of Public Health, the DuPage County Health Department and healthcare providers to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patients while they were infectious.”

The U.S. is up to 84 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 19 states. None of died, and most cases were mild, according to a news release from the IDPH.

“The CDC has issued guidance for the general public on how to stay safe from monkeypox while attending festivals, parades and other summer events where close, personal, skin-to-skin contact is likely to occur. If individuals feel sick or have rashes or sores, public health officials recommend they not attend gatherings, and visit a healthcare provider as soon as possible,” according to an IDPH news release.

“The CDC is tracking multiple clusters of monkeypox that have been reported within recent weeks in the U.S. and many countries that don’t normally report monkeypox. These cases include individuals who self-identify as men who have sex with men. CDC is urging healthcare providers in the U.S. to be alert for patients who have rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox, regardless of whether they have travel or specific risk factors for monkeypox.”

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Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network

Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois