PEORIA - On July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency. As of July 29, 4,907 cases of monkeypox have been identified in the United States. This includes 396 in the state of Illinois – an increase of 350 cases in just a month, with Michigan going from just a single case a month ago to 28. Two children have now tested positive for the disease, a toddler in California and an infant in Washington, D.C. Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. When someone is infected, the illness presents with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion, which then progresses to a painful rash and lesions. The illness typically lasts between two to four weeks. While the current monkeypox outbreak is growing, the CDC maintains the risk for contracting monkeypox is low for the general public. OSF HealthCare infectious disease physician Dr. Douglas Kasper agrees. He says the virus spreads only after what he
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