State health director: Probable monkeypox case found in Ohio

Jun. 13—An Ohio man has a probable case of monkeypox.

Ohio Department of Health preliminary testing indicates a monkeypox infection, but confirmation is pending from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said during a Monday afternoon media briefing announcing the likely case.

Monkeypox is a viral infection, but unlike COVID-19, the risk to Ohioans is low.

"Monkeypox does not spread easily between people," Vanderhoff said. "This is a disease that requires very close, generally very intimate contact between people."

The CDC is tracking multiple cases of monkeypox in several countries that don't normally report monkeypox, including the U.S.

There are 49 confirmed cases to date across the nation, including 11 in New York and 10 in California.

The virus typically begins with flulike symptoms or lymph node swelling that progresses to a rash that may look like pimples or blisters. However, some of the recent cases in the U.S. only involved the rash, Vanderhoff said.

"It is important to note that anyone can get monkeypox even though most cases associated with the investigation in the U.S. have involved men who have sex with men," he said.

No further information would be released to protect the privacy of the patient in Ohio, who is in isolation, Vanderhoff said.

"The Ohio Department of Health is working very closely with the CDC, relevant local public health authorities and the affected patient's health care providers to ensure appropriate care for the patient," he said.

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