OKLAHOMA CITY — The first probable case of monkeypox has been identified in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State Department of Health confirms.
OSDH says the infection was found in a person living in central Oklahoma who recently traveled internationally to another country with confirmed monkeypox cases. They also are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to confirm the case.
READ MORE: CDC issues travel alert amid spread of monkeypox
The Oklahoma person is currently isolated and OSDH is working to complete contact
tracing to identify others who may have been exposed.
“As soon as we learned about the monkeypox outbreak in Europe our response team began working to coordinate areas within the agency to respond if a case was identified in Oklahoma,” said Jan Fox, Deputy Commissioner of Health Preparedness. “We are currently working through the case investigation and contact tracing. However, we do want to stress to Oklahomans that the general public is not at risk.”
OSDH says while monkeypox is not easily transmissible, the virus can be given to others through direct, physical contact with someone or an animal that's been infected. It can be transmitted through large respiratory droplets or direct contact with body fluids, lesions, bedding, and other contaminated materials.
Symptoms of monkeypox include:
- fever
- rash
- swollen lymph nodes
READ MORE: WHO: Monkeypox won't turn into pandemic, but many unknowns
OSDH is advising doctors across the state to be aware of patients coming to receive care if they show symptoms consistent with monkeypox, especially if they recently traveled
internationally.
More information about monkeypox is available on OSDH's website..
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