To protect the Haywood patient’s privacy, Henderson could not say whether there were any other potential cases under investigation or how many contacts the Health Department needed to reach out to regarding the case. Henderson said the Haywood County Health Department has received a small number of phone calls regarding monkeypox. Raynard Washington, director of Mecklenburg County Public Health, Mecklenburg’s patient is not thought to be tied to another case within North Carolina. Weber said there are two primary worries when it comes to mutations: whether the virus can become more transmissible and whether it might become increasingly “capable of causing serious disease.” North Carolina casesĪccording to Dr. Weber said that since genome sequencing has been completed, it can help reveal if the virus has mutated. David Weber, medical director for UNC Hospitals’ departments of hospital epidemiology (infection prevention) and associate chief medical officer of UNC Health Care, said there is “always concern about mutations” with the virus. “It is important to remember that anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.”ĭr. “Anyone who has symptoms consistent with monkeypox and those who have had contact with someone who has monkeypox should isolate at home away from others and notify their health care provider,” said Sarah Henderson, health director for Haywood County. Symptoms can last for two-four weeks, and infected individuals can be contagious until their rash disappears and new skin covers the affected area, according to the CDC. “It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by eating meat or using products from an infected animal.” “Touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids is another way monkeypox spreads,” according to the CDC. There are other ways to contract the virus.

While anyone can get monkeypox, in the current outbreak, many of the cases are in men who have sex with men.” “Such contact often occurs during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex. “Monkeypox is transmitted person to person through direct skin-to-skin contact, having contact with an infectious rash, through body fluids or through respiratory secretions,” according to DHHS. While asymptomatic individuals can spread COVID-19, the CDC says individuals infected with monkeypox can spread the virus only if they have symptoms. Some individuals may feel ill, be fatigued, experience headaches or notice swollen glands, according to the website. Sometimes blisters form on the palms or soles of the feet, which are unusual places to have a rash.”Īccording to UNC Health, some patients might experience other symptoms before they notice any bumps. “Some have only a few - or even a single lesion - on the penis, anus, hands, feet, arm, legs or face. “People who have been diagnosed with monkeypox outside of Africa have all had skin blisters,” UNC Health notes. Monkeypox can cause a rash with a fluid-filled blister that later dries and scabs over. While the West African strain of monkeypox has a survival rate of over 99%, the CDC lists several common factors that may increase the risk of death from monkeypox, including individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children younger than 8 years and individuals who have had eczema or who are immunocompromised. The West African strain involved in this outbreak has a high survival rate but can be “extremely painful” and leave lifelong scars, according to the CDC. According to the CDC, most outbreaks of monkeypox are linked to countries in central and western Africa. Monkeypox is part of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which also contains the virus that causes smallpox.

While some individual counties are announcing infections, DHHS said it is not providing a county-by-county breakdown or saying where new cases have occurred, citing a desire to protect patient privacy. Durham County confirmed its first case on Tuesday. Mecklenburg County announced its first case four days later on June 27.

Department of Health and Human Services on June 23. North Carolina’s first case during this outbreak was diagnosed in Haywood County and announced by the N.C. Of those cases, 10 involve North Carolina residents, and one involves a nonresident.Īt least 929 people in the United States - and over 7,500 people around the globe - have been infected with it since May 18, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Carolina officials have confirmed 11 cases of monkeypox, a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, in the state as of Wednesday.

Monkeypox outbreak 2021