Case remains isolated, risk to Lake County residents is low
Lake County, Ill. — The Lake County Health Department is investigating a single case of a probable monkeypox infection in a resident of Lake County. Initial testing was completed on June 27, 2022 at an Illinois Department of Public Health Laboratory. Confirmatory testing is pending at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on initial epidemiologic characteristics and the positive orthopoxvirus result at IDPH, health officials consider this a probable monkeypox infection.
The Lake County Health Department and IDPH are working closely with the CDC, the patient, and the patient’s healthcare providers to conduct contact tracing and identify any individuals who may have been in contact with the patient while infectious.
This is the only identified, probable monkeypox case within Lake County at this time. Monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the risk to Lake County residents remains low.
Monkeypox is a rare viral illness that belongs to the orthopoxvirus family. Most infections of monkeypox last two to four weeks and resolve on their own; however, some cases can become severe.
“Individuals should be aware of how the virus spreads and the signs and symptoms of monkeypox in order to seek medical attention if they develop,” said Dr. Sana Ahmed, Medical Epidemiologist at the Lake County Health Department. “While infection typically begins with flu-like symptoms, some individuals may get a rash first followed by other symptoms. Others will only experience a rash.”
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
How monkeypox spreads:
Monkeypox does not spread easily between people without close contact. Person to person transmission is possible through close physical contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact.
See your healthcare provider if you have a rash that looks like monkeypox, even if you don’t think you had contact with someone who has/had monkeypox. Visit https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4713/Monkeypox to learn more about monkeypox.
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