(CBS) — The Wayne County Health Department confirmed a case of MPOX, the first in the county since the global outbreak in 2022.
Officials believe the risk to the public remains low and urge anyone at risk to get vaccinated. This is the 19th case reported in Michigan.
“Although we await identification of the specific virus type, there are no cases in the United States of the new Mpox strain (type clade 1) associated with the current outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa,” the county said in a statement.
Mpox, formerly monkeypox, is transmitted through close personal or intimate contact with an infectious rash, scabs, or bodily fluids. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and difficulty breathing.
Vaccines are available from the Wayne County Health Department at 734-727-7101.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak in Africa a global emergencyThe outbreak had previously been announced by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The WHO had already declared Mpox an emergency in 2022 after the disease had spread to over 70 countries. In that outbreak, less than 1% of people died.
Health officials told CBS Mornings that the 2022 outbreak is different from the current variant, adding that the current variant is “more contagious.”
