Chatham County confirmed its first case of monkeypox on Thursday. To protect privacy, the county health department is sharing no further details about the individual.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services dashboard, 566 cases of monkeypox have been reported across the state.

“Anyone can get monkeypox, though the risk remains low for most at this time,” said Chatham County Public Health Director Mike Zelek. “We encourage all who meet the eligibility criteria for the monkeypox vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated.”

Limited numbers of vaccines through the Chatham County Health Department are available at no cost to those who meet these criteria:

  • Anyone who had close contact in the past two weeks with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox
  • Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, or transgender individuals, who are sexually active
  • People who have had sexual contact with gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, or transgender individuals in the past 90 days
  • People living with HIV, or taking medication to prevent HIV (PrEP), or who were diagnosed with syphilis in the past 90 days

The monkeypox virus is reported to spread through infected body fluids, items that have been in contact with infected fluids or lesion crusts, and respiratory droplets. Symptoms include rash, fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

If any Chatham County resident has been in contact with a confirmed case of monkeypox or are experiencing symptoms, the department recommends contacting your primary care provider or the department itself at 919-742-5641.

Responses to frequently asked questions about the virus can be found on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ website. More monkeypox vaccine resources can be found here.

 

Featured image via National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Associated Press

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