GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The first case of monkeypox has been detected in Kent County.
The Kent County Health Department (KCHD) issued a notice Monday afternoon saying they received word from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) regarding the case.
We’re told the individual who contracted the disease is self-isolating.
The public is not at risk, county health officials say.
KCHD adds the patient’s close contacts are being monitored for monkeypox symptoms.
Health officials describe monkeypox as a rare disease that can become serious, noting symptoms including fever, headaches, exhaustion and muscle aches, which are then succeeded by lesions and rashes appearing on the face up to three days after symptoms begin to show.
The disease often lasts for two to four weeks, KCHD tells us.
Experts say monkeypox spreads through bodily fluids or lesions, adding it can sometimes spread through respiratory droplets in sustained face-to-face contact or from extended touching of contaminated items like clothes or bedsheets.
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