Monkeypox: Butler County reports its first case, the second in Miami Valley

BUTLER COUNTY — A Health Department in Butler County has received a positive commercial lab result report from a local healthcare provider who tested a patient for Monkeypox.

This is the second reported case in the Miami Valley. Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health reported Monday that it recently identified its first case of Monkeypox.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the Monkeypox virus.

Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and Monkeypox is rarely fatal. Monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed. This can take several weeks.

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People with the virus get a rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus and could be on other areas such as the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.

• 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.

Other symptoms of Monkeypox can include flu like symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, headache, and/or respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

People may experience all or only a few of the symptoms of Monkeypox, but most people with Monkeypox will get a rash. Some people have developed a rash before (or without) flu-like symptoms.

Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus.

The Health Departments of Butler County recommend anyone experiencing these symptoms to contact their health provider and seek medical attention. Call your primary care doctor or urgent care before arriving in person. Let them know you have symptoms or have a confirmed exposure. This will allow staff time to prepare for a safe visit for you, them, and other patients.

In addition, if you feel you may have contracted Monkeypox, immediately self-isolate; avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been checked out by a healthcare provider; avoid gatherings, especially if they involve close, personal, skin-to-skin contact; Think about the people you have had close, personal, or sexual contact during the last 21 days, including people you met through dating apps. To help stop the spread, you might be asked to share this information if you have received a Monkeypox diagnosis.

Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:

o Direct contact with Monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with Monkeypox.

o Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with Monkeypox.

o Contact with respiratory secretions.

• This direct contact can happen during intimate contact, including:

o Oral, anal, and vaginal sex or touching the genitals (penis, testicles, labia, and vagina) or anus of a person with Monkeypox.

o Hugging, massage, and kissing.

o Prolonged face-to-face contact.

o Touching fabrics and objects during sex that were used by a person with Monkeypox and that have not been disinfected, such as bedding, towels, fetish gear, and sex toys.

• A person who is pregnant can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.

Avoid close, skin to skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like Monkeypox and/or avoid skin to skin contact with people you do not know. A rash can be under clothing and not obvious to see.

· Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person who has Monkeypox or people you do not know.

· Do not handle or touch bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with Monkeypox.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.

· Wear a mask if traveling on public transportation, such as long bus or plane rides, 3 hours or more, near people you do not know (6 feet).

· If anyone with a new rash is concerned that it could be caused by the Monkeypox Virus, or if anyone has had close contact with a person with Monkeypox Virus, they should first contact their own healthcare provider for clinical evaluation.

Right now, the vaccine is only recommended for high-risk individuals because of the limited number of vaccines given to the state.

People who are high-risk are those who have had skin-to-skin contact or contact with contaminated material of a confirmed case of Monkeypox. If you think you fall into that category, talk with your primary care provider who will work with the local health department to determine your risk level, eligibility, and administration of the vaccine.

The Health Departments of Butler County are closely monitoring Monkeypox trends in Ohio and the United States, and will continue to communicate with their residents and partners.

For more on symptoms, see www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html.

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