Monkeypox case reported in central Virginia; here's what you need to know about it

Bill Atkinson, The Progress-Index
·2 min read
A handout picture made available by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on June 22, 2022, shows a collage of monkeypox rash lesions at an undisclosed date and location.
A handout picture made available by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on June 22, 2022, shows a collage of monkeypox rash lesions at an undisclosed date and location.

RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Health said Thursday that a case of monkeypox has been reported in central Virginia, which includes the Tri-City area, but the department is not specifying in which locality the case was discovered.

"The case is an adult male resident who recently traveled out of state," VDH said in a statement released Thursday morning. "The patient is currently isolating. The local health district is identifying close contacts of the case, enrolling them in monitoring, and offering vaccines (if indicated)."

VDH identifies the central region of Virginia as stretching from Hanover and Buckingham counties to the North Carolina state line. It covers the entire Tri-City area and metro Richmond.

Because of privacy issues, VDH will not disclose the locality in which the patient with monkeypox lives.

Noted for a specific type of skin rash appearing on genitals or buttocks, or in the mouth, monkeypox is considered a serious viral illness that can be spread to other parts of the human body. Other symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion and lymph-node swelling, all of which preclude the rash's appearance.

VDH says the symptoms appear 6-14 days after exposure. For most people, the symptoms clear up on their own within 2-4 weeks.

It can be transmitted among people through close contact, or direct contact with body fluids or contaminated materials.

No treatment has been approved for the disease, but there are two post-exposure vaccines available through the federal government.

VDH recommends anyone experiencing symptoms of monkeypox to seek immediate medical attention, especially if you fall within these designated groups:

  • you have had contact with someone diagnosed with or had a rash that appeared to be monkeypox;

  • you have had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity;

  • you have traveled to area where monkeypox cases have been confirmed;

  • you have made contact with household items used by a person with suspected or confirmed monkeypox; and

  • you have had contact with a wild animal or exotic pet, dead or alive, from Africa or used products derived from those animals such as meat or toiletries.

With Thursday's announcement, all five health regions in Virginia now have reported suspected cases of monkeypox. As of Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,053 cases of monkeypox across the nation and more than 11,000 cases around the world. Globally, three deaths have been reported, but none of them on U.S. or Virginia soil.

For more information about monkeypox, visit the VDH website, CDC website, and the World Health Organization website.

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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia reports first monkeypox case in state's central region