FORT DODGE, Iowa — Mpox, a highly contagious viral illness formerly known as monkeypox, was recently detected at a prison in Fort Dodge, officials said Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Corrections told Local 5 mpox clade II was detected at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility.
The CDC reports clade II is a less severe type of the virus. More than 99.9% of patients with clade II survive.
In a statement to Local 5, a representative for the Iowa Department of Corrections said in part, "We are actively managing the situation with robust health measures. Affected individuals are receiving care, and enhanced sanitation and isolation protocols are in place to prevent further spread."
The spokesperson also noted the prison is working with Iowa Health and Human Services to ensure a coordinated response.
The Iowa Department of Corrections did not specify how many people contracted the disease, or if the affected persons are inmates or staff.
The Webster County Health Department told Local 5 that the risk of disease remains low to the public.
What is Mpox?
The first human case of mpox was reported in 1970, with cases sporadically popping up across Africa ever since, according to the World Health Organization.
However, the disease gained notoriety in 2022, when a sudden outbreak of the clade II strain spread to Europe and North and South America.
More recently, the WHO has been monitoring a surge in clade I cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries.
“Clad I is more virulent," Dr. Aneesa Afroze of MercyOne in Des Moines said. "I would say it's more lethal, caused more illnesses and more deaths in Africa.”
Mpox is spread through close contact with an infected person, including sexual activity, skin-to-skin contact, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact and general face-to-face proximity. Mpox can also be passed from mother to child during pregnancy.
“Your casual contact with strangers walking through a public space, you are not at all likely to get the mpox virus through those types of interactions," Dr. Rachel Reimer, Des Moines University Department of Public Health chair, said. "It really requires very close skin-to-skin, intimate contact.”
Symptoms of mpox include:
- Rash
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Back pain
- Low energy
- Swollen lymph nodes
Mpox vaccines are available at most county health departments in Iowa, but vaccine supply is limited and reserved for people who are at a greater risk, including those who have recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, gay and bisexual men and transgender people.