The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services said it is conducting contact tracing to identify those who were in direct close contact with the patient. “The patient was likely infected during international travel and is in isolation, receiving outpatient care and in regular communication with health department staff,” the department said in a statement. States typically test for orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs, before sending samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing. The CDC as of Friday had reported a total of 460 monkeypox cases in 30 other states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Health officials continue to stress that the risk to the public remains low. The disease is transmitted through close contact with an infected animal or person, generally through lesions, body fluids or respiratory droplets. But unlike the coronavirus, monkeypox droplets travel only a few feet and usually require prolonged contact for transmission. Monkeypox causes the lymph nodes to swell, which makes the virus stand out from other similar diseases, experts say. Patients also usually present with initial symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion. Within one to three days after initial symptoms, infected individuals develop a rash that usually spreads from the head to other parts of the body. Advocates warn US risks losing control of monkeypox Nearly 15,000 flights delayed so far over holiday weekend “The risk to the general public is low, but anyone who has a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their health care provider, even if they don’t think they’ve had contact with someone who has monkeypox,” the Department of Health and Human Services of Iowa Services said. Some jurisdictions have begun administering smallpox vaccines in response to the outbreak. The CDC suggests that the smallpox vaccine is at least 85 percent effective against monkeypox. “People with immediate close contact are being directed to monitor for symptoms of illness and are being offered a series of vaccines that can prevent symptoms from developing or developing serious illness,” Iowa health officials said. “CDC does not recommend wider use of the vaccine at this time. However, their evaluation of the vaccine guidelines is ongoing.”
