Tallahassee, Leon County records first case of monkeypox; Florida DOH says risk remains low

William L. Hatfield, Tallahassee Democrat
·4 min read
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The capital city of Florida recorded its first case of monkeypox Saturday.

The Florida Department of Health provided no other information about the case other than noting it was a Leon County resident.

“DOH Leon is conducting epidemiological investigations to notify possible exposures and offer potential post-exposure prophylaxis,” the announcement said.

While the case is the first recorded in Florida’s Big Bend, there are cases of monkeypox in 48 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Symptoms can begin to appear seven to 14 days after exposure and include fever, muscle aches, exhaustion and a rash or lesions, which can be extremely painful, with some patients requiring hospitalization.

While it can be fatal in areas with poor medical care, just five deaths have been reported worldwide, none in the U.S. outbreak.

“The risk of monkeypox to the general population remains low,” the local health department stated.

The announcement of a local case comes two days after the White House declared the outbreak a “public health emergency,” a move that could make it easier to tap funding and wield the federal bureaucracy to combat the once-rare disease.

Under criticism for a slow response, the Biden administration hopes to take more aggressive action and is seeking to extend the reach of available vaccinations. Although supplies of the Jynneos vaccine have fallen short of demand, administration officials said they expect more to be available soon.

From USA TODAY:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dismissed the idea that any kind of emergency order is necessary.

“I am so sick of politicians — and we saw this with COVID — trying to sow fear into the population,” he said earlier this week. “We had people calling, mothers worried about whether their kids could catch it at school.”

He said he would not allow officials to “restrict your freedom” by granting them special powers to tackle the outbreak.

“We are not doing fear,” DeSantis added. “And, we are not going to go out and try to rile people up and try to act like people can’t live their lives as they’ve been normally doing because of something.”

Monkeypox has infected almost 650 people in Florida and more than 7,500 people in the United States, according to health officials.

DOH Leon will offer the monkeypox vaccine to high-risk groups as doses become available from the federal government.

Up to date information on monkeypox is available at FloridaHealth.gov. Case data for monkeypox, as well as other reportable diseases, can be found on FLHealthCharts.gov.

What to know about monkeypox

  • The disease, a milder cousin of smallpox, was first found in the U.S. in mid-May. It has spread to 87 countries, 80 of which have not historically seen the disease.

  • Monkeypox is transmitted person-to-person, usually through close contact with infected skin lesions or recently contaminated objects, such as sheets and clothing.

  • Nearly all cases reported in the U.S. have come through male to male sexual contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • Vaccines can be used to prevent monkeypox both before and after exposure but there haven’t been enough available.

  • As of Thursday, the Biden administration had shipped more than 600,000 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine across the country.

  • While the disease is being transmitted primarily among men who have sex with men, former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told USA TODAY July 21 it’s only a matter of time before the outbreak spreads in the population more broadly.

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Prevention and Treatment

The following is from the Florida Department of Health.

If health care providers suspect a possible case of monkeypox, immediately contact your local health department or the 24/7 disease reporting hotline at 850-245-4401. Local county health departments can help providers obtain monkeypox virus-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.

Human-to-human transmission generally requires prolonged, face-to-face contact, direct contact with lesion materials, or indirect contact with lesion materials through contaminated items, such as contaminated clothing. Therefore, the risk of exposure remains low.

Health care providers should remain vigilant of information related to monkeypox:

  • Monkeypox symptoms, especially among individuals with relevant travel history. Transmission and incubation periods.

  • Specimen collection.

  • Infection control procedures in the home and hospital settings.

  • Clinical recognition, and the characteristic rash associated with monkeypox.

  • Prophylaxis and possible treatments for monkeypox.

  • Monitoring of those exposed to monkeypox.

The public should also remain vigilant of the current meningococcal outbreak. Demographic impacts are similar among meningococcal and monkeypox cases. The meningococcal vaccines are available to high-risk populations at every county health department, free of charge. Floridians can find more information on meningococcal disease here.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee, Leon County records first case of monkeypox