The Mississippi State Department of Health has confirmed two new monkeypox cases, bringing the state’s total number of cases to three.
This announcement comes just one week after the first case of monkeypox was discovered in a Mississippi resident.
“While anyone can get Monkeypox, many of the cases identified in the outbreak in the U.S. and globally have been among men who have sex with men,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said, later adding, “No matter your gender, no matter your sexual orientation, anyone can get monkeypox.”
If you are exposed to monkeypox, the first step you should take is to contact your provider. The MSDH will then work with the provider to collect a sample and get the person vaccinated, if necessary.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and muscle aches, followed by a rash that starts as flat before advancing to pimples, or blisters and ulcers on the face, body, and sexual organs.
As of Monday, every state in the U.S., except for Wyoming and Montana, has recorded at least one case of monkeypox.
‘Hopefully, we’ve learned something from COVID’: Monkeypox reaches Mississippi
