First monkeypox case confirmed in Clark County

Jun. 20—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in Southern Nevada, health officials said.

The case was first reported Wednesday in Clark County by the Southern Nevada Health District. The patient is a man in his 20s who did not require hospitalization and was isolating at home, the district said.

No additional local cases have been reported.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that causes symptoms beginning with fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes followed by a rash, health officials said.

The rash often begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, including genitalia. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks, and most people have mild illness, officials said.

Monkeypox spreads through contact with infectious monkeypox sores, bodily fluids and objects or fabricsused by someone who has monkeypox, officials said. It can also spread through sexual contact or prolonged face-to-face contact, officials said.

The risk of monkeypox is low in the U.S., health officials said.

People with unknown rashes or lesions should contact their doctor and avoid intimate contact with others, officials said.

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