Monkeypox
In 2003, the Wisconsin Division of
Public Health conducted an investigation of state residents who
became ill after having contact with prairie dogs. The cases appeared in May and June of 2003, and symptoms in the human cases
included: fever, cough, rash and swollen
lymph nodes. CDC laboratory test results indicated that the cause of
the human illness was Monkeypox, an orthopox virus that could be
transmitted by prairie dogs.
The Division of Public Health,
working with local partners, offered smallpox vaccination to
individuals involved in this outbreak who had exposure to a sick animal
or an individual who showed symptoms of monkeypox illness. Human monkeypox is a rare zoonotic viral disease
(zoonotic means a
disease of animals, such as rabies, that can be
transmitted to humans), known
to occur primarily in the rain forest countries of central and west
Africa. In humans, the illness produces a vesicular and pustular
rash similar to that of smallpox. Limited person-to-person spread of
infection has been reported in disease-endemic areas in Africa. This current outbreak is the first
known occurrence in the western hemisphere.
Last Revised: October 19, 2007 |
