CINCINNATI — There have been two local reports of monkeypox, the Cincinnati Health Department confirmed Tuesday.
Assistant Health Commissioner Maryse Amin said providers have reported two positive cases and specimens were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The CDC's map and case count reports 17 confirmed cases in Ohio.
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff first reported a probable case in the Buckeye State in June. Vanderhoff said monkeypox does not spread easily between people.
"This is a disease that requires very close, generally very intimate contact between people," Vanderhoff said.
According to the CDC, there have been 3,591 confirmed monkeypox cases in the U.S. as of July 26. Indiana has 33 cases, while Kentucky has six.
The chief of the World Health Organization said the expanding outbreak now qualifies as a global emergency, meaning it is described as an "extraordinary event" that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response. WHO has previously declared global emergencies for COVID-19, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak and the Zika virus in 2016.
The CDC says monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters on the face, inside the mouth or on other parts of the body. There are currently two vaccines available for preventing monkeypox, and U.S. health officials have ordered more doses as supply struggles to keep up with demand in some places.
Anyone who notices a new or unexplained rash is asked to go to their health care provider.
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