Florida Keys: Monroe County reports 1st monkeypox case

NewsDesk @bactiman63

Florida state health officials are reporting the first case of monkeypox in Monroe County, home of the Florida Keys.

According to a Miami Herald report:

Alison Kerr, spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, said “transmission is primarily” happening with “men who have sex with men,” but officials are urging those who clean hotel rooms in the tourism-dependent Florida Keys to use caution.

“Even those who have exposure to the fabrics — clothing, bedding — of people who have had the infection, are susceptible to contracting the disease. So, we’re trying to get the word out to those who change linens or beddings in the hospitality industry. We’re trying to recommend gloves and encouraging them not to have that bedding up against the skin, because that’s another way it can be contracted,” Kerr said.

Monroe County is the 11th Florida county to report a monkeypox case. State officials report 122 cases, which includes 98 in Broward and Miami-Dade counties with 77 and 21 cases, respectively.

Outside of Monroe, Broward and Miami-Dade, the case breakdown is as follows: Collier (1), Lake (1), Orange (6), Palm Beach (5), Pinellas (6), Polk (2), Santa Rosa (1) and Seminole (1).

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