UPDATE 7/22: A second confirmed case has been reported in Collier County, bringing the regional total to four cases.
UPDATE 7/21: Florida Health records indicate a second confirmed case of monkeypox was reported Wednesday in Lee County. This brings the tally to three cases in the Southwest Florida region since July 1.
The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Lee County, according to state health department reports.
There are now two confirmed cases of the disease in Southwest Florida, with the first, in Collier County earlier this month.
Symptoms of monkeypox infection include fatigue, fever, body aches, and inflammation of the lymph nodes.
More serious infections will result in skin lesions, which can become very painful.
MORE: What is monkeypox and do you need to be concerned?
The virus originated in rodents and monkeys and can sometimes be passed on to humans through person-to-person contact. The Centers for Disease Control is investigating claims sexual contact can be a method of transmission.
The following information is provided from Florida Department of Health:
Prevention and Treatment
If health care providers suspect a possible case of monkeypox, immediately contact your local health department [floridahealth.gov] or the 24/7 disease reporting hotline at 850-245-4401. Local county health departments can help providers obtain monkeypox virus-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
Human-to-human transmission generally requires prolonged, face-to-face contact, direct contact with lesion materials, or indirect contact with lesion materials through contaminated items, such as contaminated clothing. Therefore, the risk of exposure remains low.
Health care providers should remain vigilant of information related to monkeypox:
- Monkeypox symptoms [cdc.gov], especially among individuals with relevant travel history [who.int].
- Transmission [cdc.gov] and incubation [cdc.gov] periods.
- Specimen collection [cdc.gov].
- Infection control procedures in the home [cdc.gov] and hospital [cdc.gov] settings.
- Clinical recognition [cdc.gov], and the characteristic rash [gov.uk] associated with monkeypox.
- Prophylaxis and possible treatments [cdc.gov] for monkeypox.
- Monitoring of those exposed to monkeypox [cdc.gov].
The public should also remain vigilant of the current meningococcal outbreak. Demographic impacts are similar among meningococcal and monkeypox cases. The meningococcal vaccines [thepowertoprotect.org] are available to high-risk populations at every county health department, free of charge. Floridians can find more information on meningococcal disease here [floridahealth.gov].
