Arizona man details monkeypox diagnosis as cases rise in country

phoenix – monkeypox Cases are on the rise in the Phoenix area and across the country, and the recent Biden administration declared the outbreak a public health emergency.

Over 100 cases of monkeypox have been reported in Arizona, and vaccines have been difficult to obtain.

A man from the Valley, who requested anonymity, said he was battling the disease and described the problems that came with it.

“Sunday morning I woke up with a completely swollen lip and a little white spot on it that was oozing stuff out,” he said.

Later that day he went to the hospital not knowing what was wrong. After scans and other tests, they finally decided to test for monkeypox.

“They asked if I was gay or if I had been out of the country recently. I am gay, but I have never been abroad,” he said. The next day he received the results.

He tested positive for the disease, which is now labeled a public health emergency.

Related: Monkeypox: What you need to know as the US declares a public health emergency

“It’s scary to have a doctor say they don’t know about this, because what am I supposed to do? I didn’t even get painkillers until Friday,” he said.

He’s been in self-induced isolation waiting to get his hands on antiviral medication, which he likely won’t see until Monday, marking just over a week since his diagnosis.

He said he called the Maricopa County Health Department, his doctor, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), feeling he had to fight the medical community all the way through.

Medical experts in Arizona say doctors are learning about the disease along with the general public.

Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said, “I haven’t seen monkeypox, or seen it early in my career, so it’s an effective way for clinicians to see what a rash looks like.” There is a learning curve to learn.

more: CDC Expands Monkeypox Testing to Commercial Labs

Humble says there are only three labs in Arizona that can test for monkeypox.

The Arizona Department of Health does not mandate case reporting. In other words, we don’t really have an exact measurement.

“Arizona is at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with other states for limited vaccine supplies,” Humble said.

While most infected people are recovering, others are not, and access to vaccines and antiviral drugs is essential to stop the spread.

“Technically, it’s not a sexually transmitted disease like chlamydia or syphilis, but direct intimate skin-to-skin contact that occurs during sex spreads this virus,” Humble explained.

what’s next? Humble said Arizona is currently on the rise and will see more cases in the near future.

Monkeypox? what is that?

According to the CDC, Monkeypox is caused by the same genus of virus that causes smallpox.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, according to the CDC. Subsequently, two outbreaks of pox-like disease occurred in him at a colony of monkeys kept for research.

The first human case of the disease was recorded in 1970 in the country now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at a time when efforts were intensifying to eradicate smallpox. Since then, several countries in Central and West Africa have reported the disease. Cases have been reported not only in the United States, but also in many countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox?

According to the CDC website, it usually takes 7 to 14 days after infection for a person to start feeling symptoms of the disease, but the incubation period is 5 to 21 days.

According to the CDC, the disease starts like this:

• heat
• headache
• muscle pain
• lower back pain
• swollen lymph nodes
• cold
• fatigue

CDC officials say that within 1 to 3 days after the fever appears, infected people develop a rash, often starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body. The rash will eventually dry up and fall off.

according to world health organizationmonkeypox symptoms usually last 2 to 4 weeks.