MIAMI — The Florida Keys has its first confirmed case of monkeypox, state Health Department officials said Wednesday.
Alison Kerr, spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, said “transmission is primarily” happening with “men who have sex with men,” but officials are urging those who clean hotel rooms in the tourism-dependent Florida Keys to use caution.
“Even those who have exposure to the fabrics — clothing, bedding — of people who have had the infection, are susceptible to contracting the disease. So, we’re trying to get the word out to those who change linens or beddings in the hospitality industry. We’re trying to recommend gloves and encouraging them not to have that bedding up against the skin, because that’s another way it can be contracted,” Kerr said.
For now, the general public is not at risk for contracting monkeypox, symptoms of which include fever, chills, headache, tiredness, muscle aches and swelling of the lymph nodes. Symptoms then progress to a rash on the face and body.
The duration of the illness usually lasts two to four weeks, Kerr said.
“Monkeypox is a rare disease. It’s really transmitted through close contact, specifically sexual contact. Sores could be around the genital areas, the anus, some other areas like the feet, chest and face. Right now transmission is primarily MSM, men who have sex with men, and close personal contact, skin to skin contact, especially when it comes to those who have the rash, sores or scabs,” Kerr told the Herald.
So far, Florida has 122 confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to the Health Department. Miami-Dade County has 21 cases, and 77 people in Broward County have been confirmed to have contracted the illness, according to state data.
