Arkansas has its first case of the monkeypox virus, the state Department of Health confirmed Tuesday.
"While this news is concerning, monkeypox is not as contagious as other viruses, like COVID-19," Health Department Director Jennifer Dillaha said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. "We encourage anyone who feels they may have been exposed to monkeypox to please contact their health care provider and be tested."
The disease has been slowly spreading across the globe, but world health officials believe the risk to the general public to be low. The first case was found in the U.S. in May.
The virus, while similar to smallpox, is less transmissible and usually causes less severe illness.
According to the Health Department, monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and a painful rash that occur seven to 14 days after exposure. It is transmitted through direct skin contact with the infectious rash, scabs or body fluids and contaminated items, such as clothing. It can also be transmitted through respiratory fluids during prolonged, face-to-face contact, according to the Health Department's news release.
Scientists warn that anyone who is in close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox or their clothing or bedsheets is at risk of infection. Vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women are thought more likely to suffer severe disease.
Monkeypox is not an airborne illness, and it can be prevented by vaccination. Antiviral drugs and immunoglobulins are also available to treat the illness.
The first case of monkeypox in the U.S. was detected in early May, after it had already been spreading throughout Europe and Africa.
The World Health Organization's Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region had tripled in the previous two weeks and urged countries to do more to prevent the spread of the previously rare disease. Infections in Europe represent about 90% of the global total, with 31 countries in the WHO's European region having identified cases.
Meanwhile, African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, calling on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the covid-19 pandemic.
To date, more than 5,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 51 countries worldwide that don't normally report the disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Information for this article was contributed by Maria Cheng and Farai Mutsaka of The Associated Press.