Monkeypox Has Entered a West Michigan County With Its First Case

West Michigan already had the flu, then COVID-19, and now a county reports its first monkeypox case.

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What is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox has similar symptoms to smallpox but is milder and rarely fatal.

Monkeypox is a virus that is normally found in rodents and primates in the rainforest areas of west and central Africa and is sometimes transmitted to humans.

The virus causes a rash that can look like chickenpox, which causes skin rashes and blisters.

Symptoms of Monkeypox

Monkeypox usually starts as a fever, swollen lymph nodes, then a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over. People often developed a headache, sore throat, cough, muscle aches, chills, and exhaustion. Although, some can have monkeypox and not show any symptoms at all.

The blisters can show up in a person's mouth, on their hands, feet, back, chest, and even genitals.

How Does Someone Catch Monkeypox?

People can pass monkeypox from human to human by physically coming in contact with the rash or with objects like blankets, clothes, furniture, and surfaces that a person with the virus has touched.

Unlike COVID-19 where you can catch the virus in the air by walking by or being too close to someone who has the virus, the spreading of monkeypox is by contact only. The monkeypox virus is more likely to spread within a household where a family member has it.

West Michigan County Gets Its First Case of Monkeypox

Fox 17 reported that a resident of Barry County, Michigan, was found to be the county's first case of Monkeypox. The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says the person is in isolation and is not a risk to the public. This makes a total of 279 cases in the state of Michigan.