NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting two more cases of monkeypox in the New Orleans, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Bernard area.
The new cases bring the total of cases confirmed in Louisiana to three – all in Region 1, which includes the four parishes.
The LDH says there are likely more undiagnosed human cases of monkeypox in Louisiana than have been formally tested and identified to date.
LDH says it is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the patients’ healthcare providers to identify and notify individuals in Louisiana who may have been in contact with the patients while they were infectious.
Since May 2022, 866 monkeypox cases have been identified in 40 states and Washington, D.C. Globally, 9,647 cases have been reported from 63 countries; the case count continues to rise daily.
Monkeypox is a potentially serious viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or with chickenpox. Most infections last two to four weeks.
Monkeypox spreads in different ways. Monkeypox virus is most often spread through direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus.
It can also spread through contact with clothing, bedding and other items used by a person with monkeypox, or from respiratory droplets that can be passed through prolonged face-to-face contact, including kissing, cuddling or sex.
According to the CDC, early data suggest that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. However, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus
Sometimes people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash. Some cases in the current U.S. outbreak have experienced only isolated rashes in the genital region or other body parts.