One case of monkeypox confirmed in Olmsted County

Matthew Stolle, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·1 min read

Aug. 26—ROCHESTER, Minn. — An Olmsted County Public Health official confirmed Friday morning that an individual in the county has been diagnosed with monkeypox.

Emma Diercks, Olmsted County Public Health communications specialist, said there has been one confirmed case of monkeypox and more information would be forthcoming.

Monkeybox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The monkeypox virus usually affects rodents, such as rats or mice, or nonhuman primates. But it can occur in people.

The earliest confirmed cases of monkeypox in the latest U.S. outbreak occurred in Texas and Maryland in July and November of last year. Both cases involved travelers who were returning to the U.S. from Nigeria.

Monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal, according to the CDC. Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox.

There have been 16,926 cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. as of Aug. 22, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been no deaths. As of Friday, Aug. 26, 108 cases of monkeypox have been diagnosed in Minnesota with the majority concentrated in Hennepin County with 79 cases.

The Post Bulletin will update this story throughout the day.