Monkeypox cases on the rise in Chicago, health officials warn

Health experts are urging caution as monkeypox cases resurface in Chicago.

The Chicago Public Health Department had reported five cases by mid-April this year. However, 20 cases have since been detected, according to ministry data.

The disease, now called “Mpox” by health experts, spread rapidly across the country last summer, mostly among gay and bisexual men. It arrived in Chicago in early June and by mid-July had infected more than 100 Chicagoans each week, but despite widespread efforts to prevent the spread of the disease through vaccination and preventive measures, the number of infected has fallen. peaked quickly.

With the start of summer and the impending mass gatherings for the most affected groups, the disease is reigniting. Chicago Public Health Director Dr. Alison Arwadi and other health experts are calling on at-risk people to stop the spread of the virus that causes painful rashes and flu-like symptoms.

“It’s important that people protect themselves. It’s serious. It’s preventable. A vaccine for Mpox is readily available,” Alwadi said last week.

Howard Brown Health had just one case in the first 14 weeks of the year, spokesman Len O’Kelly told the Tribune on Tuesday. But at the LGBTQ-focused Chicago health center, she added that she treated 11 new cases last month.

“We went from basically nothing to a pretty noticeable increase,” O’Kelly said.

The disease is often sexually transmitted, but can be spread by any kind of prolonged skin-to-skin contact, O’Kelley said. It often begins with flu-like symptoms that progress to a rash after 1 to 3 days. These rashes, which are characteristic of the disease and resemble pimples and blisters, often appear first around the genitals and buttocks, but can also appear around the mouth, hands and back.

CDPH data show that the disease is predominantly spread among gay and bisexual men in Chicago, but others are also infected with the disease.

O’Kelly said Howard Brown was trying to “make noise” about the low number of cases to prevent a large increase in the number of cases. Cases spiked last summer, with more than 800 Chicagoans infected less than three months after the city’s first confirmed case. O’Kelley said the current resurgence of infections was somewhat expected, as infections tend to increase during the summer months.

“We think for a lot of people it’s kind of off the radar,” she said. “Hopefully this won’t be a big problem this summer.”

He urged people to keep track of the vaccinations and health status of their sexual partners and close contacts. Other precautions include washing your hands and wearing a mask when you have flu-like symptoms, she said.

According to O’Kelly, Howard Brown has focused on upcoming LGBTQ events, including Pride Month in June and the International Mr. Leather Conference, which will draw thousands of gay men from around the world to Chicago in late May. It is said that we are focusing on preventive activities centering on events.

Organizers of the International Mr. Leather Conference, which begins May 25, said on their website that they are working with the White House and the Chicago Department of Public Health to encourage visitors to get the MPOX vaccine. Conference organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The vaccine used to prevent the disease was in short supply last summer, O’Kelley said, but access has expanded since then as supply chains have been established and demand has fallen.

“The scarcity problem that existed has been eliminated to some extent,” she said. “If you want it and are qualified, we can get it to you.”

O’Kelley said many of the MPOX patients Howard Brown recently treated had been previously vaccinated. Her vaccinations have resulted in fewer severe cases of “much milder” symptoms, she said. Howard Brown is taking vaccination appointments, adding that he does walk-up vaccinations at clinics around the city.

Alwadi reiterated the importance of vaccination, adding that at-risk Chicagoans can get a free two-shot vaccination course at the CDPH sexually transmitted disease clinic. Public Health recommends that sexually active bisexual men, gay men, transgender people, and those who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with Mpox get the JYNNEOS vaccine. there is

Although many cases of Mpox are not serious, the disease has killed three people and hospitalized 77 in Chicago, officials said. Dr. Beverly Shah, an infectious disease physician at Rush University Systems for Health, said some cases can be long-lasting and severely painful.

The patient’s symptoms lasted for six months, during which time he was in and out of the hospital.

“If we can encourage those who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated and take other preventive measures, we may be able to minimize the number of future cases,” Sha said on Tuesday. .

The current Mpox resurgence likely won’t be the last of the disease, she added. She urged those at risk to practice safer sex by limiting the number of sexual partners, especially unknown ones, and using condoms during sexual activity.

Sha said the hospital system uses the antiviral drug tecovirimato, and ongoing trials are ongoing to confirm its effectiveness in treating the disease. She encouraged those who tested positive to contact the hospital to participate in the trial.

Citing case information shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early May, Shah said some of the people in Chicago who recently tested positive for MPOX had recently traveled to other cities and countries. , said.

It’s hard to predict how many diagnoses the city will miss, she said. And it’s hard to predict whether there will be a further surge in cases as summer begins.

“I don’t know what direction this situation will take,” Sha said.