Monkeypox Virus Spreads Across Upper Midwest

I knew davy jones, would come to no good, along with pete nesmith.

Another case of media over-sensationalism. 4 people CONFIRMED infected "across the Midwest". 4 people out of how many millions? How's this for a headline, 4 people in Midwest infected with Monkeypox, 49,999,996 Midwesterners not infected.

Now you can get a communical disease by "prairie Doggin"!

Makes me wonder if the blame that the whiteman gave the indians small pox infected blankets as the cause for their deaths is really responsible. Maybe the animals were the carriers.

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the prairie dogs likely were infected by a giant Gambian rat at a suburban Chicago pet distributor.

If they think it all came from an exotic pet distributor who probably had something else on the place that brought it over and passed it on to captive prairie dogs, and it seems most mammals could get it, why the heck single out wild prairie dogs to avoid? - Where is the mixing of wild prairie dogs with the pet ones that were thought to be the source?

Why is anyone importing giant Gambian rats into this country? Playmates for their civet cats?

a giant Gambian rat at a suburban Chicago pet distributor.

How clever of the pet distributor to import Gambian rats! This is about as stupid as Brazilian scientists importing then accidentally releasing Africa killer bees!

Africa has absolutely NOTHING that we need!

Thanks for the post

The CDC sure has been busy, handling imported diseases, these past few years.

For future reference, from the CDC: Preliminary Report: Multistate Outbreak of Monkeypox in Persons Exposed to Pet Prairie Dogs

Onset of illness among patients began in early May. Patients typically experienced a prodrome consisting of fever, headaches, myalgias, chills, and drenching sweats. Roughly one-third of patients had nonproductive cough. This prodromal phase was followed 1-10 days later by the development of a papular rash that typically progressed through stages of vesiculation, pustulation, umbilication, and crusting. In some patients, early lesions have become ulcerated. Rash distribution and lesions have occurred on head, trunk, and extremities; many of the patients had initial and satellite lesions on palms and soles and extremities. Rashes were generalized in some patients. After onset of the rash, patients have generally manifested rash lesions in different stages.
All patients reported direct or close contact with prairie dogs, most of which were sick. Illness in prairie dogs was frequently reported as beginning with a blepharoconjunctivitis, progressing to presence of nodular lesions in some cases. Some prairie dogs have died from the illness, while others reportedly recovered.

Not that this is what is taking place, but as I read this article I flash back to movies where a false scenario is put out for public consumption while the real cause is combated in the background.

The Prarie Dog line is probably true, but we wouldn't know for sure if it was or wasn't.

Oh, come on!

The monkeypox virus is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, and officials said the smallpox vaccine has been known to protect people from both viruses.

Would it follow that someone exposed to monkeypox then develop a resistance to the smallpox virus?

Officials Warn Public To Avoid Ill Prairie Dogs

Do people really need to be told this?
"Look kids, there's a sickly-looking prairie dog! Why don't you two go play with it for a while while your mama and I go git some Cheetos..."

The monkey pox is known to infest mostly dimocrats who like to devour their own.

No problem... the CDC has come up with a sure cure. Turns out, if you spank the monkey, it goes away...

close the borders /sarcasm

Quote "Another case of media over-sensationalism. 4 people CONFIRMED infected "across the Midwest". 4 people out of how many millions? How's this for a
headline, 4 people in Midwest infected with Monkeypox, 49,999,996 Midwesterners not infected."

You obviously miss the point. This is the first time this disease has made it into the Western Hemisphere. That in itself is worth a headline.

So, I would assume then the moral to this story is 'rodents spread disease' and having them as pets puts you at risk.

Funny. You would think people would have learned that from what happened during the Black Plague, assuming the public schools ever got around to teaching real history.

CDC experts warn the public to avoid any contact with prairie dogs or Gambian giant rats that appear to be ill -- such as those that are missing patches of fur, have a visible rash on the skin, or have a discharge from eyes or nose. And they said to wash your hands if you have any contact with prairie dogs or Gambian rats -- or any other ill animal.

Why, whenever I see a statement from the CDC, do I get the impression I'm reading a Dave Barry column?

About three weeks ago my children and I became mildly ill with intestinal symptoms and fevers. After about three days of that, the children broke out in pox. It looked like old-fashioned chicken pox to me, but as both kids already had that I decided to have it checked out. The dr seemed confused, but he did tell me that this was "going around". He said that there was an entire family in the next room with the same symptoms. He told me that it was too expensive to run tests to see what it was, but that the consensus was that it was rotavirus.

We all recovered fine, but it does make me wonder what the heck was going on.