The first cases of the virus that causes monkeypox have been found in Allegheny County, according to the county health department, which is performing contract tracing to reach additional people who may have been exposed.
The patients are three men in their 20s and 30s who are isolating at home under the guidance of public health nurses, according to the health department.
The county’s public health clinic says it has access to medication and vaccines for others who are identified through case investigation as having had contact with these patients.
Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox, but the health department says it “in some cases may present symptomatically like the typical childhood illness.”
Among the symptoms of monkeypox is a rash that can look like pimples or blisters; they sometimes appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.
Monkeypox is much less contagious than COVID-19. Most infections occur after prolonged, intimate contact such as cuddling, kissing or sex. However, it’s possible for transmission to occur via contaminated materials such as clothing or bedding.
Cases of the virus have been on the rise globally since the spring. This has befuddled medical providers as, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prior to 2022, “Nearly all monkeypox cases in people outside of Africa were linked to international travels to countries where the disease commonly occurs, or through imported animals.”
The CDC data shows that approximately 400 people in the U.S. have tested positive for monkeypox, including at least 10 people in Pennsylvania. Internationally, there have been nearly 5,800 cases in more than 50 countries and territories.
