Monkeypox and how to avoid it

On Monday, August 22, Wyoming became the final state to report a case of the Monkeypox virus.

The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) announced that the virus was found in a resident of Laramie County.

Follow-ups are being conducted with the individual to see if other Wyoming residents are at higher risk of contracting the virus through contact with the adult man who tested positive within the last week. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), beginning in early May 2022, cases of the Monkeypox virus were being reported in counties where the virus is not endemic.

Originally, Monkeypox is endemic to Central and West African countries and this is the first time that cases of the virus have been reported in both non-endemic as well as endemic countries concurrently. 

Like COVID-19, Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease meaning both viruses are infections that have jumped from animals to humans. Some zoonotic diseases, including Monkeypox and COVID-19, have the ability to pass from human to human after the initial jump across species.

The similarity between the two viruses stops there.

Firstly, monkeypox has been around for much longer. It was first discovered in 1958 at a laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark where it was identified in monkeys imported from Singapore. The first human case of the virus was reported in 1970 when a nine year old boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo was infected with it.

Secondly, the transmission of monkeypox relies on prolonged, close physical contact between humans, unlike COVID-19 which generally spreads through tiny expelled droplets. 

Thirdly, monkeypox has key differences from COVID-19 in its symptoms. According to the CDC, the most telling symptom of the monkeypox virus is a rash that “can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.”

The WDH has made it clear that while vaccine supply for the virus is limited there is some availability through public health offices across the state. Because supply is limited, the WDH has made recommendations for current vaccine eligibility:

• Men who have sex with men and who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last year
• Partners of men who have sex with men who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last year
• Transgender and nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with multiple or anonymous sexual partners who are male or male assigned at birth within the past year
• Sex workers (of any sex)

There are preventative measures that the CDC has recommended:

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
• Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
• Wash your hands often.

News of the monkeypox virus has reached some on campus and the general reaction to news of the virus is that students know the name of the virus but little more.

Students at UW and residents of the state of Wyoming should maintain safe practices and avoid further transmission of the virus. More Wyoming-related information on the virus and vaccinations can be found at https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/monkeypox/.