Monkeypox Detected In Camden County For The First Time

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The first case of monkeypox was recently detected in Camden County, the county said.

"Based on HIPAA law and the size of the municipality the resident lives in we cannot share the location," Dan Keashen, a Camden County spokesperson told Patch.

(HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the federal law that limits what information about a person with a medical condition can be released.)

Camden County would say that the case is in a resident who was traveling out of state. The county added that the person who was diagnosed with monkeypox is isolated at home, that contact tracing was conducted and prophylaxis was provided to any of the person's close contacts and the case is still being investigated.

"The threat to Camden County residents from monkeypox is extremely low right now," Paschal Nwako, Camden County health officer and public health coordinator said.

"There is no need for panic, but we are encouraging residents to stay vigilant and to watch for symptoms," Nwako continued.

Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle ache, chills and a pimple or blister-like rash, the county said.

Monkeypox is spread through direct contact with an infected person's rash, scabs or body fluids, the county said. The disease can also spread by face-to-face contact through respiratory droplets or activities such as kissing, cuddling or sex, the county added.

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