Health Officials Confirm Monkeypox Cases In Bucks County

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. ? Six cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Bucks County as of Monday morning, according to the Bucks County Department of Health.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to get tested, even if they don?t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox, advises the Bucks County Department of Health.

In Pennsylvania, 125 cases have been confirmed with 5,189 being reported nationwide, according to the Centers For Disease Control.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. The virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola, the virus that causes smallpox. Symptoms are similar to smallpox, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough) and a rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus, but could also be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face or mouth.

The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing, according to the Centers For Disease Control. It can look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.

Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash. Most people with monkeypox will get a rash. Some people have developed a rash before (or without) other symptoms.

Monkeypox symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash one to four days later.

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. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

To reduce the risk of exposure, avoid touching the skin or scabs of a person who has monkeypox or monkeypox-like rash; avoid intimate physical contact or sex with a person who has monkeypox or monkey-pox-like rash; do not share utensils or drinks with a person who has monkeypox; do not handle bedding or clothing of a person who has monkeypox; and wash your hands often.

Monkeypox was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Despite being named ?monkeypox,? the source of the disease remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) might harbor the virus and infect people, according to the CDC.

The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970. Prior to the 2022 outbreak, monkeypox had been reported in people in several central and western African countries. Previously, almost all monkeypox cases in people outside of Africa were linked to international travel to countries where the disease commonly occurs or through imported animals. These cases occurred on multiple continents.