Just when we thought we were over concerns of Covid, another virus has taken the national stage. The sickness is so contagious that President Biden has shared his concerns about 'monkeypox.' While traveling in South Korea, the president expressed 'that everyone should be concerned about it.'

Is there a vaccine for Monkeypox? The CDC reports that the smallpox vaccine is 85% effective against monkey box. They've compiled their research based on reports from Africa. What is money pox? The CDC reports the following definition:

"Monkeypox is a serious disease. It causes fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, a general feeling of discomfort, exhaustion, and severe rash. Studies of monkeypox in Central Africa—where people live in remote areas and are medically underserved—showed that the disease killed 1–10% of people infected."

Monkeypox in Utah?

The Salt Lake County officials have issued a release detailing they believe two individuals have most likely contracted the monkeypox virus. They believe the CDC will confirm their assessment.

How easy is it to contract Monkeypox?

Salt Lake County Health Department shares how the disease is spread:

"Monkeypox is not known to spread easily among humans; transmission generally does not occur through casual contact. Human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with body fluids, including monkeypox lesions. Transmission might also occur through prolonged, close face-to-face contact. The time from someone becoming infected to showing symptoms of monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−to 21 days. Infected people are not contagious before they show symptoms."

Preventing Monkeypox

The CDC says that you should wash your hands thoroughly, not contact any animals, and not get close to people who have monkeypox symptoms.  As of the time of publication, there have been no reported cases of monkeypox in Idaho.