Kansas City Health Department confirms first ‘probable case’ of monkeypox

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Health Department and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services have confirmed a single ‘probable’ monkeypox case in Kansas City.

They said a resident with a recent out-of-state travel tested positive.

“This week, one of our excellent nurses suspected one of our patients may have monkeypox virus,” said Dr. Marvia Jones, the director of the Kansas City Health Department. “We are considering this a probable case of monkeypox virus until we receive final confirmation from the CDC labs. We appreciate the work our disease investigation and nursing staff have done to educate themselves on this rare virus and be on alert for it.”

Initial testing was completed on Saturday.

Investigators are trying to determine if the patient may have been in contact with individuals while infectious.

Health officials say there is “no indication there is a great risk of extensive local spread of the virus, as monkeypox does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus.”

Person-to-person transmission is possible through close physical contact.

Monkeypox is considered a rare, but potentially serious viral illness. Flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and rashes are common symptoms. Most infections last between two weeks and a month.