Atlanta, GA
Monkeypox Cases Suspected in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Chicago
June 3, 2022 – Extra suspected instances of monkeypox are being investigated in america, with well being authorities in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois reporting their first instances.
As of two p.m. Thursday, the CDC mentioned 21 confirmed monkeypox instances had been present in 11 states. Every week earlier, the CDC listed 10 instances in eight states.
The Georgia Division of Public Well being mentioned a metro Atlanta man with a historical past of worldwide journey has proven monkeypox signs, however the case has not been confirmed by testing on the CDC, The Atlanta Journal-Structure reported. The division is doing contact tracing whereas the person isolates.
Town of Philadelphia mentioned a possible case of monkeypox was present in a resident, primarily based on early testing by the Pennsylvania Division of Well being’s Bureau of Laboratories. “The risk to Philadelphians from monkeypox is extraordinarily low,” Well being Division Acute Communicable Illness Program Supervisor Dana Perella mentioned in a information launch. “Monkeypox is way much less contagious than COVID-19 and is containable notably when immediate care is searched for signs.”
And in Illinois, a person who lately traveled to Europe has been confirmed because the state’s first possible case of monkeypox, WLS-TV reported. A preliminary check at a state well being division lab offered a optimistic end result, however the discovering will have to be confirmed by the CDC.
“Chicago being a really giant worldwide hub for journey, it was inevitable that we’d see a case or two, presumably extra, in Chicago,” Irfan Hafiz, MD, chief medical officer for Northwestern Drugs Northwest Area, advised WLS.
In the meantime, a fifth potential case has been detected in New York Metropolis, metropolis well being officers advised CBS Information.
Monkeypox is endemic in Central and Western Africa, and it’s not often discovered elsewhere. State and native well being authorities are doing contact tracing on the U.S. instances to learn the way the individuals contracted monkeypox, a illness that’s much like smallpox. Different Western nations are reporting many extra instances than america. The European Centre for Illness Prevention and Management mentioned Tuesday that 557 instances have been reported worldwide, together with 108 instances in the UK, 69 in Spain, and 59 in Portugal.