KENT COUNTY, Mich. — The first probably case of monkeypox was identified in Kent County, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services discovered.
The patient is isolating and the Kent County Health Department says they are not a risk to the public. Officials are monitoring close contacts of the person to identify symptoms, but no additional cases have been found.
The Health Department says no further details on the case will be revealed in the interest of patient privacy.
Monkeypox can be a serious disease, but is rare. There is an incubation time of one to two weeks after exposure and the disease can last for two to four weeks.
Symptoms of monkeypox include headache, fever, muscle aches, and exhaustion followed by a rash and lesions often beginning on the face one to three days after the onset of illness, the Health Department says.
The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids or monkeypox lesions, but could be from prolonged face-to-face contact or contact with contaminated materials, like clothing or bedding.
There have been two confirmed cases of monkeypox in Michigan with both cases discovered in the Detroit area. The first case was discovered on June 29 and the second on July 8.
It is unclear if any of the monkeypox cases in the state are related.
Anyone with monkeypox symptoms is asked to contact their healthcare provider.
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