First Case Of Monkeypox In PA Found In Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia resident has contracted Pennsylvania's first case of monkeypox in 2022, city health officials announced Thursday.

According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the case was discovered through preliminary testing at the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Bureau of Laboratories.

Confirmation through testing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pending.

The first case in what officials are calling a monkeypox outbreak was confirmed in the United Kingdom last month. Since then, cases have been confirmed in 29 other countries, including the United States, where 19 cases have been confirmed in 10 states.

Worldwide, only one death is associated with the outbreak, Philadelphia health officials said.

Health officials also aid the public threat is extremely low.

"Monkeypox is much less contagious than COVID-19 and is containable particularly when prompt care is sought for symptoms," program manager Dana Perella said in a statement. "I believe that residents and visitors should feel safe to do all the fun things Philadelphia has to offer, with the proper precautions."

Monkeypox is a rare, viral illness that usually begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes, and progresses to a rash on the face and body. Most infections last about two to four weeks, according to state health officials.

The disease is typically limited to central and west Africa, where people are exposed through bites or scratches from rodents and small mammals, preparing wild game or coming into contact with an infected animal. Individuals can also be infected through contact with infected people, their clothing or bedsheets.