KALISPELL - Monkeypox — a rare disease typically confined to remote parts of Central and West Africa — is drawing concern from health officials as cases begin to pop up in the US.
Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, part of the same family as smallpox.
Logan Health Hospitalist Dr. Cory Short said symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle aches, and a rash developing one to three days after the onset of fever.
Short noted monkeypox is not as transmissible as coronavirus but can be spread by close contact with bodily fluids.
He said no cases of monkeypox have been detected yet in Montana, but those who are traveling to high-risk areas in Africa should be looking out for possible symptoms.
“So, if you’re traveling to an area that’s known to have cases, having fevers, having chills, malaise and develop a rash, get in to be seen by a provider,” said Short.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports rodents imported from West Africa were the source of a human monkeypox outbreak in the US in 2003.
