One person in Cleveland has been infected with monkeypox, the Cleveland Department of Health confirmed on Thursday.
The health department is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the infection. Health officials are reaching out to anyone who may have been exposed, according to a city health department media release.
"The illness does not currently present a risk to the general public," the release said. The infected person has had "very limited" contact with others in the past 21 days.
Monkeypox typically causes flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, city health officials said. As the infection progresses, patients can develop a rash on their face and body.
State and national health officials are urging health care providers to be on the lookout for patients with rashes.
Most infections last between two and four weeks. The virus is transmitted person-to-person through direct skin-to-skin contact with an infectious rash, bodily fluids or respiratory secretions, the release said.
It can also be spread by inhaling large respiratory droplets or through close contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as contact with bedding and other contaminated materials.
Symptoms normally appear one to two weeks after exposure, the release said. But it can take up to three weeks for them to appear. The virus typically resolves within two to four weeks.
Public health officials said people with symptoms or concerns should contact their primary care physician.
The CDC is tracking multiple cases of the virus, which have been reported in several countries that do not normally report monkeypox, according to the health department.
