Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Officials Investigate Monkeypox Case at Champaign County Daycare
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25,2022
Contact
Julie Pryde, Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
(217) 531-2925 /
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Officials Investigate Monkeypox Case at Champaign County Daycare
Patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), announced today that they are investigating a case of monkeypox associated with a daycare located in Rantoul, IL.
CUPHD, IDPH and Carle Health are working closely with an adult case at the daycare. There are no other cases at this time but a complete assessment is being conducted of all adults and children at the facility. If a child that’s enrolled and has had a potential exposure, the parent or guardian will be contacted by CUPHD.
There is no indication there is a great risk of extensive local spread of the virus, as monkeypox does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus. Person-to-person transmission is possible through close skin-to-skin physical contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact. Symptoms include a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
Monkeypox is a rare, but potentially serious viral illness, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus family, and typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes, and progresses to a rash on the face and body. Most infections last two to four weeks. Monkeypox is typically endemic to parts of central and west Africa, and people can be exposed through bites or scratches from rodents and small mammals, preparing wild game, or having contact with an infected animal or possibly animal products.
People who have a new or unexplained rash, sores, or symptoms, or have a confirmed exposure should see a healthcare provider, remind them that the virus is circulating in the community, and avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until they have been seen. If a person or their partner has monkeypox, they should follow the treatment and prevention recommendations outlined by their healthcare provider and avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until all sores have healed or have a fresh layer of skin formed.
Suspected cases may present with early flu-like symptoms and progress to lesions that may begin on one site on the body and spread to other parts. Illness could be clinically confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with varicella zoster virus.
For more about this virus, visit:https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/ and https://dph.illinois.gov/resource-center/news/2022/june/city--state-public-health-officials-confirm-first-case-of-monkey.html
###