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First probable case of monkeypox reported in Indiana, health dept. says

FILE - This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. A leading doctor who chairs a World Health Organization expert group described the unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox in developed countries as "a random event" that might be explained by risky sexual behavior at two recent mass events in Europe. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP, File)

By: Katie Cox

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INDIANAPOLIS — State health officials announced Saturday they had identified the first probable case of monkeypox in Indiana in 2022.

The case was identified through initial testing at the Indiana Department of Health laboratories, although confirmation is still pending from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The patient is isolating and health officials are working to identify anyone that person may have had close contact with while infectious.

No additional information about the patient is being released due to privacy concerns.

“The risk of monkeypox among the general public continues to be extremely low,” said State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “Monkeypox is rare and does not easily spread through brief casual contact. Please continue to take the same steps you do to protect against any infection, including washing your hands frequently and thoroughly, and check with a healthcare provider if you have any new signs or symptoms.”

According to the IDOH, monkeypox symptoms usually start out as a fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and exhaustion within 5 to 21 days after exposure.

Within one to three days, sometimes longer, after developing a fever a rash will usually appear. The rash often begins on the face and spreads across the person's body. Some people may only develop a rash and no other symptoms. The health department says symptoms usually last between two to four weeks and a person is considered infectious until all scabs from the rash have fallen off.

Person-to-person transmission is possible through skin-to-skin contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores or contaminated items such as bedding or clothing, according to the health department. Transmission is also possible through exposure to respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact.

The first case of monkeypox in Ohio was reported earlier this week.

There are now more than 50 confirmed cases in the United States across at least 16 states and nearly 1,500 cases confirmed worldwide. No deaths from monkeypox have been reported in with no 30 different countries, according to Ohio health officials.

For more information about monkeypox, symptoms and other areas where the infection has been detected visit the CDC website.