CDC confirms five monkeypox cases in Utah
Jun 29, 2022, 4:09 PM | Updated: Jul 5, 2022, 10:57 am
The CDC issued Thursday recommendations for use of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 bivalent vaccines to help protect Americans from COVID-19.Photo credit: Jessica McGowan/ Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, confirmed a total of five monkeypox cases in Utah Wednesday morning.
According to the Utah Department of Health, four of the cases are located in Salt Lake County and one in Utah County. On Tuesday, the total number of cases statewide was three.
With cases on the rise, Utah will soon get a shipment of 20 monkeypox vaccines.
About monkeypox
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus.
The illness wasn’t discovered until 1958 when two monkeys had an outbreak of a pox-like disease. Although this outbreak happened among monkeys that were kept for research, the source of the disease is still unclear.
The CDC website said non-human primates and African rodents may carry the infection and consequently infect humans.
Signs and Symptoms
Typical signs and symptoms of the disease are:
- Fever
- Rash that resembles pimples or blisters
- Headaches
- Muscle or backaches
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- Swollen lymph nodes
If you have these symptoms, you should talk to your healthcare provider.
Prevention and Treatment
Avoid direct contact with the disease rash and wash your hands often. Also, don’t handle the bedding, clothing or towels of a person sickened by the disease.
As for treatments, there is no specific one for the sickness. However, the CDC said antiviral medication may be used to treat and prevent the disease.
Visit the CDC website for a U.S. monkeypox case count map here.
