Monkeypox in Florida: Health officials confirm first case in Orange County
Digitally-colorized electron microscopic (EM) image depicting a monkeypox virion (virus particle), obtained from a clinical sample associated with a 2003 prairie dog outbreak, published June 6, 2022. (Photo via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The first case of monkeypox in Central Florida has been reported in Orange County, the Florida Department of Health confirmed on Friday.
No other information has been released about the new case. There are now a total of ten cases in the state of Florida: 8 in Broward County, 1 in the Fort Myers area, and now one in Orange County.
Monkeypox is a virus that begins as a rash and then turns to bumps that become infected.
Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions say the illness begins with:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.
Lesions progress through the following stages before falling off:
- Macules
- Papules
- Vesicles
- Pustules
- Scabs
The illness typically lasts for 2−4 weeks. In Africa, monkeypox has been shown to cause death in as many as 1 in 10 persons who contract the disease, according to the CDC.
It is rarely seen outside of Africa. Experts say it originates in wild animals like rodents and primates and occasionally jumps to people.
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Different from COVID, experts say it is harder to transmit. It generally requires close physical contact or bodily fluids.
Right now there is no treatment for monkeypox. Experts say if there is an outbreak, the smallpox vaccines may be used to slow the outbreak.