CUPHD releases new details on monkeypox case at a Rantoul daycare

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND)–  As of today, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District reports no new cases or secondary spread, of the monkeypox virus after a staff member of a Rantoul daycare was infected. 

According to the CUPHD, no one else associated with the known case of monkeypox has tested positive, including no one at the daycare and no one in the home.

With the assistance of Carle Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), CUPHD has conducted screenings on all adults and children and offered the Jynneos vaccine to all who had potential exposure. 

The CUPHD said, the one active case is currently in isolation and doing well.

“The daycare center that we worked with was very responsive and quick in their actions to ensure the safety of the children and the center’s employees,” said Julie Pryde, administrator of Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.  “The daycare’s director worked closely with us from the start to ensure that the CDC-required cleaning was done and that all who had potential exposures were contacted.”

The CUPHD says cases of monkeypox typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a rash on the face and body. The virus can spread through close prolonged contact with an infected person or animal. 

Monkeypox are said to spread by contact with the skin lesions, body fluids, or sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by someone who is infectious, and through respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact.

People who have a new or unexplained rash, sores, or symptoms, or have a confirmed exposure should contact a healthcare provider for assessment and testing. 

The CUPHD suggests if a person or their partner has monkeypox, they should follow the treatment and prevention recommendations outlined by their healthcare provider and avoid sex or being intimate with anyone until all sores have healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed.

“I would like to thank the daycare director and staff, Carle’s amazing quick response team, and my colleagues at the Illinois Department of Public Health and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District for their incredible work on this situation,” said Ms. Pryde.

Due to the limited availability of the Jynneos vaccine, only those with increased risk of infection are eligible currently for vaccination. 

Individuals with questions about their eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine may email monkeypox@c-uphd.org or call 217-531-4926.

For more about this virus, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/