Monkeypox Found in Erie County

Monkeypox has officially been reported in Erie County. This is the county’s first case, and the county says the patient is in isolation and does not pose a general risk to the public. The Erie County Health Department is now conducting contact tracing to determine if additional people have been exposed.

​​Infectious disease expert at UB Jacobs’ School of Medicine, Dr. Thomas Russo, stated: “Monkeypox is not transmitted through aerosol spread through the air. It requires close, prolonged contact with someone who has monkeypox so the general public does not need to be panicked about this scenario…You cannot get monkeypox from wandering through the vegetable section at Wegmans. You cannot get monkeypox from sharing a subway car with an individual. It requires prolonged, close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox and skin lesions, and exposure to those skin lesions.”

Source: 13 WHAM