First monkeypox case in Dunn County

According to a press release today from Dunn County Health Director KT Gallagher, the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Dunn County has been reported. The individual is doing well and isolating at home. The Dunn County Health Department  is working with the individual to identify people with whom they may have had direct, close contact while infectious.

The Dunn County Health Department is working with its community healthcare partners and the Wisconsin DHS to identify and respond to monkeypox cases in our community. As of August 19, there were 53 confirmed cases of orthopox virus presumed to be monkeypox in Wisconsin.

Gallagher stated that monkeypox does not easily spread from person to person through casual contact. It most easily spreads during close, sustained contact with an infected person. Monkeypox can spread the following ways:

• Through direct contact with an infected person’s skin lesions or body fluids. Transmission may happen through intimate physical contact during sex.
• By sharing contaminated items, such as bedding or clothing, with an infected person.
• Through respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact.

As the health department learns of people who have had contact with monkeypox they will contact them and ask them to monitor themselves for symptoms. Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters. The monkeypox rash usually develops one to three days after the fever. However, some people may experience a rash or sores first. Some may only develop a rash.

The public can lower their risk of contracting monkeypox by

• Avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox. This includes intimate contact like hugging, kissing, or having sex.
• Not sharing bedding, towels, clothing, or utensils with someone with monkeypox.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water or using an alcohol-based sanitizer.
• Limiting your number of sexual partners may reduce the possibility of exposure

Further details are available in the attached press release.