The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have now issued an Alert Level 2 for Monkey Pox, which means that members of the public must practice enhanced precautions in relation to exposure to the Monkey Pox infection.
According to the global map of cases published by the CDC, cases of monkeypox have now been reported globally. The CDC said that some cases were reported among men who have sex with men and some cases were also reported in people who live in the same household as an infected person.
The CDC also confirmed that many of these people have not recently been in central or west African countries where monkeypox usually occurs, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, among others.
CDC is advising travelers that they should:
- Avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions.
- Avoid contact with dead or live wild animals such as small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes).
- Avoid eating or preparing meat from wild game (bushmeat) or using products derived from wild animals from Africa (creams, lotions, powders).
- Avoid contact with contaminated materials used by sick people (such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings) or that came into contact with infected animals.
While CDC says that risk to the general public is low, you should seek medical care immediately if you develop new, unexplained skin rash (lesions on any part of the body), with or without fever and chills, and avoid contact with others. If possible, call ahead before going to a healthcare facility. If you are not able to call ahead, tell a staff member as soon as you arrive that you are concerned about monkeypox. Tell your doctor if in the month before developing symptoms:
- You had contact with a person that might have had monkeypox.
- You are a man who has had intimate contact (including sex) with other men.
- You were in an area where monkeypox has been reported or in an area where monkeypox is more commonly found (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan).
If you are sick and could have monkeypox, delay travel by public transportation until you have been cleared by a healthcare professional or public health officials.
Monkey Pox infection map (source: CDC)
