Monkeypox has appeared in Cincinnati. The city’s health department says health care providers have reported two cases. Specimens have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
Both patients sought treatment after developing a rash. They've been told to isolate at home.
The CDC has confirmed 17 cases in Ohio, 33 in Indiana and six in Kentucky.
According to a release from the Cincinnati Health Department, monkeypox is a "rare viral illness that is transmitted from person to person through direct contact with body fluid or monkeypox lesions." The statement says "transmission can occur through respiratory droplets from prolonged face-to-face contact from contaminated materials such as bedding or clothing," but that’s rare.
The CDC recommends anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should speak with their health care provider, even if they don’t think they were in contact with an infected person.
There are two vaccines approved to prevent monkeypox. They can protect people against the illness before exposure or soon after exposure, according to the CDC, although data is not yet available on the effectiveness of the vaccines in the current outbreak. A spokesperson in the Cincinnati Health Commissioners office says the city gets vaccines from the Ohio Department of Health.
