LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Indiana health officials are reporting the first probable case of monkeypox.
The Indiana Department of Health said it was based on an initial positive test and preliminary case investigation.
Information regarding the patient was not released due to privacy concerns. The person is in isolation and health officials are working to find anyone that person may have had close contact with while infected.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said the risk of monkeypox among the general public is “extremely low.”
“Monkeypox is rare and does not easily spread through brief casual contact. Please continue to take the same steps you do to protect against any infection, including washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, and check with a healthcare provider if you have any new signs or symptoms,” she said.
The IDH said person-to-person transmission is possible through skin-to-skin contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores or contaminated items such as bedding, clothing or through exposure to respiratory droplets during face-to-face contact.
The CDC said the virus typically begins with a fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and exhaustion about five to 21 days after exposure.
Within one to three days – even longer – after the fever, the patient would develop a rash which begins on the ace and then spreading to other parts of the body. Health officials said some people may only develop the rash.
Monkeypox lasts about two to four weeks and those with the virus are considered infectious until all scabs from the rash have fallen off.
So far, the CDC has reported 113 monkeypox cases in 21 U.S. states and territories this year.
No cases have been reported in Kentucky.
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