TOPEKA — The Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) working in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Health and Environment Laboratories has identified a case of Monkeypox in Shawnee County, according to Craig Barnes Division Manager of the Community Health Outreach and Planning program for the Shawnee County Health Department.
The individual was exposed after contact with a confirmed positive case that had traveled to Shawnee County from out-of-state. Officials are awaiting confirmatory test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The individual is currently isolating at home and KDHE is working to identify and monitor any and all close contacts.
On July 9, KDHE reported the first case of monkeypox in Kansas. The adult patient is a resident in Johnson County, Kansas, who recently traveled out of state.
On June 18, health officials reported the first case of monkeypox in Missouri. It was found in a Kansas City resident who had recently traveled out of state.
The monkeypox vaccine, JYNNEOS, is available to individuals in Shawnee County with a known exposure to a positive case. Due to limited vaccine supply, eligible individuals will be contacted by KDHE or SCHD through contact monitoring efforts.
“The risk of monkeypox transmission in Shawnee County continues to be low,” said Teresa Fisher, Director of SCHD.
People with monkeypox sometimes develop a flu-like illness with fever, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes followed by a rash. The incubation period for monkeypox is typically 7 to 14 days; however, it can range from 5 to 21 days.
Monkeypox is a viral infection that can spread through contact with body fluids, sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids from sores of a person with monkeypox. Individuals with monkeypox may spread the virus through:
- Respiratory secretions through prolonged face-to-face interactions (the type that mainly happen when living with someone or caring for someone who has monkeypox);
- Direct skin-to-skin contact with rash lesions (lesions may look like pimples) or infectious sores/scabs;
- Sexual/intimate contact, including kissing, hugging, massaging and cuddling;
- Living in a house and sharing a bed with someone; and
- Sharing towels or unwashed clothing.
Most people with monkeypox have a mild illness that improves without treatment over 2 to 4 weeks. Treatment is supportive and focused on easing the symptoms of the illness. Monkeypox is contagious and can spread easily to others until scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed. Monkeypox is NOT spread through casual brief conversations or walking past someone in a store.
To prevent the spread of monkeypox, SCHD recommends:
- Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
- Do not touch the rash or scabs of a person with monkeypox.
- Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.
- Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
- Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
- Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom.