In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient’s hand in 2003.
BY: JEROD MACDONALD-EVOY |Arizona Mirror
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health and Arizona Department of Health Services announced the first probable case of monkeypox in the state Tuesday in a man in his late 30s.
“It is important to remember that monkeypox remains a rare disease here in the United States and in Maricopa County,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for disease control at MCDPH said in a statement sent to the media.
The man is recovering and in isolation and both health agencies are waiting on confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the presumptive positive test from the state’s public health laboratory.
Monkeypox is a viral illness that typically starts with a fever and can be accompanied by a headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. One to three days after experiencing a fever, a rash will appear, starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body.
The rash will look like small, flat, round discolorations that will become raised and fluid-filed before scabbing, according to MCDPH. When the scabs fall off the area is no longer infectious and the spots can appear anywhere on the skin, including the genitals or inside the mouth.
Most people who come down with monkeypox will fully recover without treatment.
“Monkeypox can spread through contact with lesions, scabs, and bodily fluids, so we encourage anyone who develops fever or swollen lymph nodes with a rash to consult a healthcare provider for testing,” Dr. Sunenshine added.
