City Of St. Louis Health Department Reports Its First Probable Case of Monkeypox

ST. LOUIS - The City of St. Louis has reported the city's first probable case of monkeypox.

The individual has told the St. Louis Department of Public Health said it is awaiting confirmation from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation of their monkeypox case.

"The individual likely contracted the virus outside of the state during recent travel," the St. Louis Department of Public Health said. "An investigation shows the individual has had minimal contact with the public, and any potential close contacts have been notified."

Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, director of health for the City of St. Louis said: "Through this individual's cooperation with the Department of Public Health, we believe their minimal contact with other individuals will help contain the spread of this virus within our community. At the same time, it is important that if anyone develops the symptoms of monkeypox, they should contact their medical provider immediately and avoid direct contact with others."

The monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.

Symptoms of monkeypox include:

Fever

Headache

Muscle aches and backache

Swollen lymph nodes

Chills

Exhaustion

A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, etc.

The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms.

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