ERIE, Pa. (Erie News Now) – The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in our region, according to medical professionals at Central Outreach Wellness Center.
A 36-year-old man who recently traveled contracted the disease and is now recovering at home in Erie County Pennsylvania. He had a rash on his skin that turned into lesions, medical professionals said.
He first visited a few other doctors who could not determine the issue, but Central Outreach had monkeypox test kits from the state. Health workers tested the lesions, sent the test kit back, and it came back positive Wednesday.
Furthermore, WGRZ-TV reports the first confirmed case of Monkeypox was reported in the Buffalo area as well.
The CDC said monkeypox does not spread nearly as quickly or easily as COVID-19 because transmission requires direct skin-to-skin contact.
Symptoms include a sensitive or sore rash or lesions, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, muscle aches and chills. It can take anywhere from five days to two weeks for monkeypox symptoms to show up.
Local experts recommend reducing personal contact with people you do not know.
“You’re going to want to be careful with how you interact with other people,” said Dalen Hooks, Central Outreach Erie. “You can get this from skin-to-skin contact, so you want to try to keep down your interactions with other folks.”
Central Outreach has test kits available, and treatment from the state arrives in just days.
Infections now exceed 1,000 from the growing outbreak in the U.S.
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