A friend of mine who works in social services showed me a picture he’d taken of a rash on one of his clients who they sent to the ED. Came back positive for monkey pox.
Fever, chills, exhaustion, painful sores and blisters.
Just like with COVID once upon a time monkeypox was far away from our shores. Now it is on Main Street. According to the CDC, as of August 18, there were 73 confirmed cases on Connecticut. 14,115 in the US. Odds are there’s many more with untold numbers to come.
Many people think the disease is just spread from male to male sexual contact, but that is not case.
According to the CDC:
“Monkeypox can spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:
Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
Contact with respiratory secretions.
In other words, be careful out there. Wear gloves, clean your equipment (including blood pressure cuffs) after each patient contact.
We likely don’t know everything about monkeypox and how it spreads, so stay up-to-date. Fortunately, most people recover within a month, many without treatment.
Here’s the CDC site: