Staying informed on monkeypox
Sep. 3—Since mid-June, Indiana has reported 169 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to a new dashboard launched by the Indiana Department of Health.
The 169 includes an increase of 16 reported cases Thursday.
Public Health District 7, which includes Vigo, Vermillion, Parke, Putnam, Owen, Clay, Sullivan and Greene counties, showed one case as of end of day Thursday, although it does not indicate which county had the monkeypox case.
Vigo County has not had any confirmed cases of monkeypox, according Michael Passmore, health educator with the Vigo County Health Department.
"While we don't have any cases right now, it's still important to stay up-to-date on the information ... and what to do if there ends up being a case, just so we're prepared," Passmore said.
The local health department "is trying to stay as up-to-date as possible" and will keep the community informed of any developments, he said.
If anyone has questions about the disease, they should go to the Centers for Disease Control website, he said.
The Indiana Department of Health has launched the new data dashboard showing the prevalence of monkeypox cases in the state, broken down by age group, gender, ethnicity, race and public health district.
In Indiana, District 5, which includes Marion and surrounding counties, showed 119 cases as of end of day Thursday.
In Indiana, nearly 40% of cases are in the 18-29 age group, with another 34% in the 30 to 39 age group.
As of Friday, the U.S. has had 19,962 cases, and worldwide, the number is 53,027, according to the Centers for Disease Control website. It also listed 172 for Indiana and 1,087 for Illinois as of Friday.
"Our goal with any dashboard is to provide accurate, up-to-date information on the status of an outbreak or important public health issue to keep Hoosiers informed," said Lindsay Weaver, IDOH chief medical officer. "As the monkeypox situation evolves, we continue to review cases and lab results in consultation with our federal partners to ensure our data accurately reflect the current situation."
The dashboard, which is posted at monkeypox.health.in.gov, will be updated Monday through Friday by 5 p.m. to reflect cases identified as of 5 p.m. the day before.
Due to small case counts in most areas of the state, cases will be broken down by public health emergency preparedness district at this time to protect patient privacy.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Symptoms are similar to smallpox, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.
The illness typically begins with fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and exhaustion about five to 21 days after exposure. Within one to three days (sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash. The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks. People are considered infectious until all scabs from the rash have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed.
Person-to-person transmission is possible through skin-to-skin contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores or contaminated items, such as bedding or clothing, or through exposure to respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact.
To learn more about monkeypox, visit https://monkeypox.health.in.gov.
Early last month, the Vigo County Health Department stated that it has received monkeypox vaccine from the Indiana Department of Health, which establishes the rules for its use, according to Linda Deckert, local health department director of nursing.
The department is not administering the vaccine prophylactically (for disease prevention). "We're only giving them if you are diagnosed with a case of monkeypox," she said. "This helps lessens symptoms."
If people believe they are exhibiting signs and symptoms of monkeypox, they should first call their personal doctor or health care provider and request testing, Deckert had said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue.
