Illinois receives monkeypox vaccine because the state sees the state as having the third highest number of confirmed cases in the United States – NBC Chicago

Illinois health officials are expected to receive the monkeypox vaccine, the Illinois Department of Health announced Thursday. The state continues to record some of the most common cases in the United States.

As part of its national strategy to fight the virus, IDPH has revealed that the state will be vaccinated with the JYNNEOS vaccine 1,291 times and the Chicago Public Health Service will be vaccinated with 3,200.

According to IDPH, these quantities are expected to increase in the coming months as federal health authorities are beginning to step up their testing efforts.

The vaccine went to a county in Illinois, where at least one case of monkeypox was experienced, “including those who have been diagnosed with monkeypox virus or who have been in close physical contact with presumed exposure to the virus. Designated for individuals at high risk of exposure. ”

Cases of monkeypox continue to increase across the country, with more than 351 confirmed cases in 28 states as of Thursday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overall, Illinois reported 46 cases of the virus. CDC report, Most in Chicago, others in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and Lake County. The state follows New York with 72 confirmed cases and California with 80 confirmed cases.

The Chicago Public Health Department says vaccine events have already begun as the United States prepares to deploy about 300,000 monkeypox vaccinations to stop the increase in virus outbreaks.

“In Chicago, the identified contacts are ordering and receiving vaccine doses to be delivered to clinical sites referred for post-exposure prophylaxis,” a statement from CDPH read Wednesday.

“The first vaccine event took place in baths and other settings identified as potential exposure settings during the case study,” the statement continued.

According to the CDPH, their strategy is to vaccinate individuals who have been confirmed to be exposed to the monkeypox virus and those who are at high risk of exposure (to date: several recently in known locations). Men having sex with men who have sex partners in the area) where monkeypox or MPV is endemic). “

No viral deaths have been reported in the United States, and most people recover from monkeypox in 2-4 weeks.

What you need to know about monkeypox vaccine

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination of the virus to those who have confirmed or estimated exposure to monkeypox. According to the CDC, vaccination should be done within 2 weeks of exposure to the virus, but the sooner it is, the better.

CNBC report The United States will immediately release 56,000 Jynneos vaccines from its strategic national stockpile, followed by 240,000 vaccines in the coming weeks.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, a total of 1.6 million Jynneos will be available in the fall.

Jynneos is a double-dose vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adults over the age of 18 who are at high risk of exposure to smallpox or monkeypox. HHS prioritizes the allocation of Jynneos doses to the community with the highest number of monkeypox cases due to the still limited supply.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral disease that often begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes and progresses to facial and body rashes, health experts say. I have. First observed in Africa in 1970, it is usually found in the western and central parts of the continent.

The virus comes from the same family as smallpox.

“It’s not of monkey origin. It’s the first virus to be detected and has nothing to do with the COVID virus,” said Dr. Allison Arwadi, Director of Public Health, Chicago. “It’s a completely different family. One of the reasons it’s noticed is that it’s in the same family as the smallpox virus. There’s no smallpox anymore. It’s eradicated, but it’s in that family.”

How does monkeypox spread?

According to the CDPH, human-to-human transmission is “monkeypox pain, close physical contact with fluids and pain-contaminated materials (clothes, bedding, etc.), or respiratory organs after prolonged face-to-face contact. It is possible by splashing. “”

“It’s not just your casual handshake,” said McHenry of Northwestern Medicine and Dr. Irfan Hafiz, an infectious disease specialist at Huntley Hospitals. “(Contacts) need to be longer and clearer. Technically it’s not a sexually transmitted disease, but it requires close contact.”

“It takes a long time (contact), not a few minutes,” added Dr. Kavita Patel, a medical contributor to NBC News. “(It can also) contain fluids or lesions.”

What symptoms do I need to be aware of?

Symptoms of the virus range from generalized fever, pain, and rash.

“Suspicious cases show early flu-like symptoms and can progress to lesions. Lesions can start in one part of the body and spread to other parts,” CDPH said. ..

According to Hafiz, the virus causes symptoms similar to several illnesses, including chickenpox and smallpox.

“To an amateur, it can look like chickenpox or warts,” he said. “But these (pains) tend to be in exposed areas.”

Health experts also said the disease could be confused with sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and shingles, or varicella-zoster virus.

Federal health officials are asking US doctors to consider diagnosing monkeypox in people with a consistent rash, especially if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Contact with a person who had a monkeypox-like rash, or who was confirmed or diagnosed with possible monkeypox
• There was skin-to-skin contact with someone on a social network experiencing monkeypox activity. This includes men having sex with men who meet their partners through online websites, digital applications (apps), or social events (such as bars and parties).
• Traveled outside the United States to countries where monkeypox cases have been identified or where monkeypox activity continues
• Have been in contact with dead or live wildlife or exotic pets using products that exist only in Africa or are derived from such animals (eg, hunting meat, creams, lotions, powders, etc.)

According to CDPH, infection usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks.

Health officials say that people who “have a new or unexplained rash, sores, or symptoms, or have been identified” visit a healthcare provider and “avoid sex and intimate relationships until seen.” I said it should be.