LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — At least 17 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Jefferson County.
Officials said the virus spreads mainly through skin-on-skin contact, but they warn it might also transmit in other ways, including through touching linens used by someone with monkeypox.
Out of the 17 current cases in Jefferson County, nine are currently in isolation, while eight have been released, according to the Louisville Health Department.
Monkeypox is a highly infectious disease that has spread rapidly across the country since the first case was discovered in May.
Most U.S. monkeypox cases have been in men who have sex with men, but officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.
Monkeypox is part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. While similar to smallpox, monkeypox symptoms tend to be milder and the disease is rarely fatal.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It wasn’t considered a disease that spreads easily among people until May, when infections emerged in Europe and the U.S.
Norton Healthcare is hosting a monkeypox vaccination drive on Sept. 24. To sign up, click here.
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — At least 17 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Jefferson County.
Officials said the virus spreads mainly through skin-on-skin contact, but they warn it might also transmit in other ways, including through touching linens used by someone with monkeypox.
Out of the 17 current cases in Jefferson County, nine are currently in isolation, while eight have been released, according to the Louisville Health Department.
Monkeypox is a highly infectious disease that has spread rapidly across the country since the first case was discovered in May.
Most U.S. monkeypox cases have been in men who have sex with men, but officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.
Monkeypox is part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. While similar to smallpox, monkeypox symptoms tend to be milder and the disease is rarely fatal.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It wasn’t considered a disease that spreads easily among people until May, when infections emerged in Europe and the U.S.
Norton Healthcare is hosting a monkeypox vaccination drive on Sept. 24. To sign up, click here.
Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
