First Sedgwick County monkeypox case confirmed in resident who traveled out of state

The first presumptive positive case of monkeypox has been identified in Sedgwick County, the county health department said.

The adult Sedgwick County resident who tested positive for the virus recently traveled out of state, according to a Thursday news release. No additional information has been made public about the patient.

This is the eighth case of monkeypox reported in Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. State health officials say the risk to the general public remains low.

The most significant risk factor for infection is close or sustained skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, with an infected person, or contact with their items such as towels or sheets.

Symptoms typically appear within seven to 14 days of exposure and include fever, headache and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash. People who have been infected can spread the disease until the rash is completely healed.

Due to limited supplies, the monkeypox vaccine is currently only available through the health department to people who have been exposed to someone with monkeypox and to certain people at high risk of exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed 22,774 cases of monkeypox in the U.S.