The Cuyahoga County Board of Health on Thursday issued a warning of a regional outbreak of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.
The county has confirmed nine documented mpox cases since February. Six of those cases were documented by the county and three were reported by the Cleveland Department of Public Health. People with confirmed cases range in age from 17 to 44, CCBH said in a media release issued Thursday.
“I think people have been a little less careful lately. Unfortunately, it's that way with a lot of diseases. They don't quite go away, so you have to remain vigilant," said Joyce Van Meter of CCBH.
Mpox symptoms include a rash on the hands, feet, face, chest or genitals. The rash will go through several stages, such as blisters, pimples and itchy scabs, before healing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, exhaustion and respiratory symptoms.
Mpox symptoms typically become apparent within 21 days of exposure. Patients often experience flu-like symptoms before developing a rash a few days later, according to the CDC.
A person with mpox can spread it to others from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed. It's spread through direct, skin-to-skin or surface contact with infected wild animals, through close contact with an infected person and through contact with contaminated materials, the CDC said.
Health officials also urge those who are in an at-risk group, like people who have multiple sex partners, to be screened.
Van Meter said one challenge is that at-risk communities tend to be distrustful of medical providers.
“One of the big concerning things [is] that it does tend to affect people that have already been marginalized within the community, and so that makes it that much harder to reach them," she said.
CCBH is partnering with medical providers that work with the LGBTQ+ community, and is in talks with bars and night clubs to spread the word about resources, Van Meter added.
Anyone who may have been exposed to mpox should receive testing immediately. CCBH is also encouraging area health care providers to keep mpox as part of their differential diagnosis.
In some cases, mpox can lead to serious complications like pneumonia or infection in the brain or eyes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
CCBH offers testing and Jynneos vaccines at its clinics in Parma and Warrensville Heights.
The U.S. has seen an increase in mpox cases since summer of 2022, including an outbreak of more than 30 cases in Chicago last spring. New cases were also reported in Europe around that time, according to NPR.
The CDC warned that more than half a million people are at risk in low vaccination areas. Ohio has a 15% fully vaccinated mpox rate, according to January 2024 CDC data. That compares with a national mpox vaccination rate of 23%.
