Elko County received a report of its first confirmed monkeypox case – a male in his 40s who is isolating at home.
The case is currently under investigation through the Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health, Elko County’s health department.
No additional cases have been identified and no other information is available. According to the CDC, monkeypox spreads from person to person through close physical contact with infectious monkeypox sores, bodily fluids, contact with objects or fabrics that have been used by someone who has monkeypox, sexual contact, or prolonged face-to-face contact.
It is a rare disease that causes symptoms beginning with fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches and backache, headache, and respiratory symptoms (sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough). The development of a rash may also occur before or after flu-like symptoms, others may only experience a rash.
The incubation period is usually between seven to 14 days but can range from five to 21 days. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks. Most people who contract monkeypox will have mild illness.
People who are immunocompromised, young children, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and those with certain skin conditions may be more at risk for severe illness. People who test positive for monkeypox should follow the treatment and prevention recommendations of their health care provider and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Based upon limited information, overall risk of monkeypox is low in the U.S. People with unknown rashes or lesions should contact their health care provider for an assessment and avoid sex or being intimate during that time.
Those at risk for monkeypox include people who recently traveled to other countries or had close contact with someone who has monkeypox. Recommendations for those who may have had contact with monkeypox virus are available on the CDC’s Exposure Risk Assessment and Public Health Recommendations page.
