What's monkeypox threat? Health official says to be vigilant; Meritus offers tests

Mike Lewis, The Herald-Mail
·3 min read

With the number of monkeypox cases rising in the nation and in Maryland, testing is available in Washington County with a doctor's order.

And Washington County Health Officer Earl Stoner is drawing some distinctions between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the threat from monkeypox.

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"While we continue to live with COVID-19 and the challenges it has presented for more than two years now, (monkeypox) is not a COVID-like situation that is going to overwhelm our health care capacity," Stoner said in an email. "These viruses are not the same and do not spread in the same way. While we certainly need to be vigilant, heighten our awareness and follow recommendations, there is no cause for panic."

Stoner said that the community has "the tools and experience to effectively mitigate the impact of monkeypox."

Monkeypox is spread by close and/or prolonged contact with someone who has symptoms. COVID-19 is spread through droplets in the air from breathing, talking, sneezing or coughing.

This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.
This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.

As of Friday, there had been more than 11,100 cases of monkeypox confirmed in the United States. More than 270 of those are in Maryland, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There has been no word on a confirmed case of monkeypox in Washington County.

Monkeypox testing at Meritus

Meritus Health announced last week that is offering testing for monkeypox.

People who develop symptoms of monkeypox should consult with their providers on whether testing is recommended, according to Maulik Joshi, Meritus president and CEO.

In general, testing for monkeypox requires taking a sample from an active rash.

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For those who need it, Meritus has set up a testing location at the Meritus Medical Laboratory, 13620 Crayton Blvd., Hagerstown.

To get a test, a person will need a lab order from a provider. If you don't have a primary care physician, you can consult with a provider via MeritusNow at now.MeritusHealth.com.

Meritus anticipates that results will be back five to seven days from the time the test is collected.

Meritus is offering the testing, Joshi noted, but the tests are analyzed by an outside lab.

More monkeypox info online

Like the state and county health department, Meritus is using the internet to get information to the public.

Maulik Joshi
Maulik Joshi

Joshi joined Stoner, the health officer, in urging people to stay up to date and to know the symptoms of monkeypox.

Some of those symptoms can include fever, chills, headaches and body aches and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body.

“Our expert teams are prepared for this situation, and will continue to monitor our community’s needs,” Joshi said in the release.

Spreading since May

Monkeypox was first named in 1958 when research monkeys in Denmark were observed to have a “pox-like” disease, although they are not thought to be the animal reservoir.

Monkeypox has been endemic in parts of central and west Africa for decades and was not known to trigger large outbreaks beyond the continent until May.

There have been more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox identified globally since May, with the majority of those beyond Africa.

WHO declared the global spread of monkeypox to be an international emergency in July, and the U.S. declared its own epidemic to be a national emergency earlier this month.

Outside of Africa, 98% of cases are in men who have sex with men. With a limited global supply of vaccines, authorities are racing to stop monkeypox before it becomes entrenched as a new disease.

Mike Lewis covers business, the economy and other issues. Follow Mike on Twitter: @MiLewis

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County health systems prepare for monkeybox threat