The Chicago Department of Public Health said a second probable case of monkeypox in Illinois has been identified and urged residents to be cautious — though the risk of contracting the disease remains low.
This comes just a day after health officials announced the state’s first confirmed case of monkeypox from a Chicago man who recently traveled to Europe.
On Friday, city health officials said the latest case was found in a person who had close contact with the first positive case.
A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Public Health said the second person tested positive at a state lab. But the case remains “probable” until confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — and that may not happen until Monday.
Monkeypox is a disease that can spread from animals to humans and is commonly found near tropical rainforests where animals carrying the virus live. People with monkeypox can catch the disease when traveling to regions of the world where monkeypox is endemic, according to health officials.
Most monkeypox patients can have moderate symptoms such as fever, body aches, chills and fatigue but people suffering a more severe version of the illness can develop rash and lesions on the face and hands.
People normally recover within two to four weeks of contracting the virus. However, it can be deadly for up to 6% of cases.
There were 21 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the country as of Friday evening. Illinois was one of 11 states with at least one confirmed case, according to the CDC.
The last major outbreak of monkeypox in the United States was in 2003, when a total of 47 cases, confirmed or probable, were reported in six states — including Illinois. That outbreak was the result of people having contact with pet prairie dogs imported from Ghana.
Contributing: Associated Press
