The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says eight cases of monkeypox have been reported in the state of Oklahoma. Nationwide, 3,591 cases have been reported.
On Saturday, the World Health Organization said the monkeypox outbreak had been elevated to a global emergency and has affected people in more than 70 countries
According to the CDC, monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Symptoms are similar to those of smallpox, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.
The first probable case of monkeypox in Oklahoma was reported in June.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health said monkeypox can be transmitted to humans through direct, physical contact with an infected person or animal. It can also be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets or contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as bedding and other contaminated materials.
Symptoms of monkeypox can include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches and backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus
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