POLSON - Health officials confirmed a single probable case of monkeypox in an adult in Lake County.
The Montana State Public Health Lab completed initial testing on Wednesday, but confirmatory testing will occur next with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Lake County and CSKT Tribal Public Health are working to identify people who may have been in contact with the patient while they were infectious. The person did not need to be hospitalized and is isolating at home.
No other details were released due to privacy concerns.
On Aug. 5, Flathead County reported the state's first monkeypox case. Four days later, a second case was reported in Gallatin County.
Tribal Health notes the symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body.
The illness typically lasts two-to-four weeks and most people get better on their own without treatment. At times, monkeypox can cause scars from the sores, the development of secondary infections, such as pneumonia, or other complications.
The virus does not easily spread between people with casual contact, but transmission can occur through contact with infectious sores and body fluids; contaminated items such as clothing or bedding; or through respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact.
There is no treatment specifically for monkeypox.
Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should call their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox. A person who is sick with monkeypox should isolate at home. If they have an active rash or other symptoms, they should be in a separate room or area from other family members and pets, when possible.
Additional information about monkeypox can be found on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/.
