How are positive cases of monkeypox confirmed?
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(CNN) --
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an "Alert - Level 2" advisory for travelers to "exercise precautions" due to the spread of monkeypox, a rare disease related to smallpox.
In its alert, the CDC says "the risk to the general public is low, but you should seek medical attention immediately if you develop a new, unexplained rash (lesions anywhere on the body), with or without fever and chills."
The CDC has three types of levels they could issue, as cases have been reported in dozens of destinations.
The levels are:
Level 1 surveillance:
Practice usual precautions
Level 2 Alert:
Take extreme precautions
Level 3 Warning:
Avoid non-essential travel
The CDC has not applied destination-specific levels on its website for monkeypox, as it does for Covid-19.
Silent spread of monkeypox may be a wake-up call for the world
Level 2 precautions
The CDC has the following recommendations for travelers being in level 2:
Avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin or genital lesions.
Avoid contact with live or dead wild animals.
This includes rodents like rats and squirrels and non-human primates like monkeys and apes.
Avoid eating or preparing meat from wild animals or using products derived from wild animals from Africa, such as creams, lotions, and powders.
Avoid contact with contaminated materials used by sick people, such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings, or with materials that have been in contact with infected animals.
Where has monkeypox been recorded?
The Eiffel Tower in Paris.
France is one of the destinations where cases of monkeypox have been reported.
Credit: Adobe Stock
Although normally associated with tropical Africa, cases of monkeypox have been confirmed worldwide.
According to the CDC, cases have been reported in Europe, North America, South America, North Africa, the Middle East, and Australia.
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More than 550 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 30 countries, says WHO official
This is the CDC list of destinations with confirmed cases as of June 6:
Germany
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
United Arab Emirates
Scotland
Slovenia
Spain
USA
Finland
France
Welsh
Gibraltar
Hungary
England
Ireland
North Ireland
Israel
Italy
latvia
malt
Mexico
Morocco
Norway
Netherlands
Portugal
Czech Republic
Sweden
Swiss
The United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), Spain and Portugal are the countries that have reported the highest number of cases, each with more than 100 as of June 6.
All other destinations have reported fewer than 100 cases as of June 6.
Click here for the CDC's current global outbreak map.
Symptoms of monkeypox
The palms of a monkeypox patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997. Credit: Brian WJ Mahy/CDC/Handout/Reuters
There is an incubation period of between seven and 14 days, according to the CDC.
Initial symptoms are often flu-like, including fever, chills, exhaustion, headache, and muscle weakness, followed by swollen lymph nodes, which help the body fight infection and disease.
"One feature that distinguishes monkeypox infection from that of smallpox is the appearance of swollen lymph nodes," the CDC notes.
This is followed by a generalized rash on the face and body, including the inside of the mouth and the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
It can also spread to the genital areas.
The raised, painful pustules are pearly and fluid-filled, often surrounded by red circles.
According to the CDC, the lesions eventually crust over and resolve within two to three weeks.
What should you do if you get infected?
The CDC says to avoid contact with other people first.
Other tips:
"If possible, call ahead before going to a health facility. If you can't, tell a member of staff as soon as they arrive that you're worried about having monkeypox."
The CDC says you should tell your doctor about any of the following if they are true in the month before your symptoms start:
You have had contact with a person who may have had monkeypox.
You are a man who has had intimate contact (including sex) with other men.
You have been to an area where monkeypox has been reported or in an area where monkeypox is more common (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Sudan).
If you're sick and might have monkeypox, the CDC recommends delaying travel on public transportation until cleared by a health care professional or public health officials.
-- Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report.
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