Metro Health Department identifies fourth monkeypox case. Why this is likely not the next COVID
The Metro Nashville Public Health Department has identified a fourth presumptive case of monkeypox in Davidson County.
The department has not yet identified where this Davidson County resident was infected, though the other three patients were likely infected outside of Tennessee.
None of the four have required hospitalization, said health department spokesperson Matthew Peters. Investigators are reaching out to all people who have may have had close contact with them.
For now, it's unclear if the virus is spreading throughout the state.
"We know that there will be more cases," said Dr. Joanna Shaw-KaiKai, an infectious disease specialist with the department. "But monkeypox is not as easily transmitted as other infections like, let's say, COVID. So we can take comfort in that it's probably not going to be a rapid spread."
First Tennessee case: Monkeypox in Nashville: Officials report first case in Davidson County resident
Related coverage: Monkeypox in Nashville: Two new cases reported this weekend
Here's what we know so far about the 2022 monkeypox outbreak.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox has historically been a rare disease in the same family of viruses that causes smallpox but is far less dangerous. In fact, unlike smallpox, monkeypox is rarely fatal.
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is often transmitted from animals to humans and has usually appeared in central and west Africa, commonly near rainforests. Prior to this year's outbreak, monkeypox was largely seen only in individuals who had traveled to countries where the virus was spreading.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monkeypox can also cause rashes that look like pimples or blisters that may appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.
Illnesses generally last between two to four weeks. Sometimes people get a rash before other symptoms. Other times people only get a rash.
It's not easily spread
Unlike COVID-19, monkeypox is not spread through casual contact. Nor is it easily spread in the air.
According to the CDC, it is primarily spread through direct contact with infectious rashes, scabs or body fluids. It can also be transmitted through respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact and/or intimate physical contact, the CDC says.
It may be contracted by touching clothes that came into contact with infectious rashes or body fluids. Infected pregnant women may also spread the virus to their fetuses.
Monkeypox is transmissible from the time symptoms start until rashes are fully healed and new skin has formed.
People who do not have symptoms cannot spread the virus to others. Scientists do not know if it can spread through semen or vaginal fluids, according to the CDC.
How is it treated?
According to the CDC, there are no treatments specifically designed for monkeypox.
But antivirals, such as tecovirimat, and vaccines developed for smallpox may be used to treat people at serious risk of complications like people with compromised immune systems.
Tennessee has "a limited" supply of the vaccine and is not yet considering any widespread vaccinations, said Peters of the Metro Health Department.
The Biden administration announced last month that it was shipping 56,000 doses of vaccine to the states with priority given to "jurisdictions with the highest number of cases and population at risk."
A federal website tracking distribution indicates that Tennessee has received a total of 22 doses.
Vaccines, for now, are limited to those who have had close contact to the infected and those who work in a lab with the virus, according to the department.
Fortunately, the 2022 outbreak in the United States appears to be a mild form of the disease.
"I'd say to the public, 'don't panic. Be aware of it.'" said Shaw-KaiKai. "Monkeypox has been around for decades. We know a lot about it. And we know it's a mild infection (during this 2022 outbreak), and it's not easily transmitted."
Most states have cases
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 states have reported cases of monkeypox, totaling at least 1,052 cases. The greatest numbers are in California (161 cases), New York (159), Ilinois (152), the District of Columbia (82) and Florida (72).
Neighboring Mississippi and Alabama have not yet reported any cases.
The United States has the fourth largest number of cases in the world, behind Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Monkeypox infections have, so far, only been reported in Tennessee in Davidson County.
Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Monkeypox in Nashville: Fourth case confirmed, what we know
