Officials confirmed a case of monkeypox at the Cook County Jail. The sheriff's office said that the most recent report was found in an individual who had recently been imprisoned at the institution, and that person had caught the virus before coming to jail.
Monkeypox Update in Chicago and the US
The patient has been in medical isolation since July 19, when symptoms first appeared. Previously, they were housed in a separate intake housing unit for all newly admitted inmates, a procedure implemented by the jail during the coronavirus outbreak.
"The individual was immediately removed from intake housing and taken to Cermak Medical Services for medical treatment before being placed in medical isolation," the sheriff said.
The individual's housing unit has been isolated and is being monitored with daily screenings.
According to the official, many important processes, such as medical isolation, quarantine, screening, and testing, were already in place to battle monkeypox due to the knowledge acquired in combating the spread of COVID-19. Based on how the disease is transmitted, the risk to staff and individuals in custody at the jail is low. Following the initial case, Cook County health officials anticipate additional cases in the jail. The health agency said that it is crucial to remember that the jail population is a microcosm of the community, and as such, it is natural to expect cases to occur within the jail.
Illinois has documented over 340 instances so far, and DuPage County health officials reported four more cases on Monday.
Based on the report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been documented in 74 countries since May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more severe strain of the virus is spreading, primarily in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Even so, the spreading outbreak qualifies as a worldwide emergency, according to the head of the World Health Organization, who made the announcement on Saturday. It might encourage additional funding for the once-rare disease's treatment and worsen the competition for limited vaccination supplies.
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Monkeypox Global Emergency
A global emergency is the highest degree of notice issued by the WHO. Yet, it does not necessarily imply that the disease is particularly transmissible or fatal. Similar announcements were made for the Zika virus and the ongoing campaign to eradicate polio, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
According to experts, most people who catch monkeypox experience flu-like symptoms before developing a rash, but some may develop a rash first, followed by flu-like symptoms.
Dr. Irfan Hafiz, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine's McHenry and Huntley hospitals, said that the virus causes symptoms comparable to chickenpox or smallpox. It can appear to the layperson as chickenpox or warts. However, the sores are usually in exposed places. Some medical professionals said that the condition might be confused with a sexually transmitted infection such as syphilis or herpes and the varicella zoster virus.
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