Lane County health officials on Friday reported two presumed cases of monkeypox, bringing the total known cases in the state to three.
The two cases are not connected, Lane County Public Health spokesperson Jason Davis told The Oregonian/OregonLive. And neither person has traveled recently, raising concerns about how widespread the illness might be in Oregon.
“Virtually every case I’ve heard about across the nation has had a travel history,” Davis said. “This is pretty significant, and that means it’s certainly in our community.”
Health officials sent test samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
The first known Oregon monkeypox case was reported two weeks ago, and that person had recently traveled to a place that had confirmed cases.
With the World Athletics Championships starting in two weeks in Eugene and expected to bring in thousands of people, Davis encourages county residents to be aware of symptoms and vigilant about monitoring for them.
The monkeypox virus, usually limited to Central and West Africa, is spread primarily through close physical contact. Symptoms start within two weeks of exposure, and they include headaches, muscle aches and a rash. The rash starts with flat red marks that eventually swell with pus. Infections typically last two to four weeks, and most people recover without treatment.
The virus is related to smallpox, though usually less dire, which means antiviral medication for smallpox can be used for those with severe cases of monkeypox.
There have been more than 400 cases of monkeypox in the U.S. this year, according to the CDC, and more than 5,000 globally.
The U.S. has ordered more than 4 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine, to be delivered later this year and in 2023, Bloomberg reports. The smallpox vaccine is also an option for combatting the virus, but it can have severe side effects and isn’t recommended for people with weakened immune systems.
“This is absolutely a community-wide problem,” Davis said of monkeypox’s arrival in Oregon. “We need to do everything we can to try and contain this.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the cases were connected. Further lab results showed they were not.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; (503) 319-9744
