First Case Of Monkeypox Confirmed In Vermont: Officials

BURLINGTON, VT — Vermont public health officials have confirmed the state's first case of monkeypox in an individual from Franklin County, according to a news release.

Initial testing performed by the state's Public Health Laboratory detected the virus, Vermont Department of Health officials said in the release.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct additional testing to confirm the state's findings.

There were more than 4,900 reported monkeypox cases in the United States as of Friday afternoon, according to the CDC, and federal officials expect those numbers to rise.

Only three states have yet to confirm a case, according to the CDC.

More than 99 percent of reported cases are in men and the vast majority of those are among men who reported sexual contact with other men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

The monkeypox virus mainly spreads through skin-on-skin contact, but it can also transmit through touching linens used by someone with the infection. People with monkeypox may experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. Many in the outbreak have developed sometimes-painful zit-like bumps.

Federal officials this week announced distribution plans for 780,000 shots of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine. The doses will be allocated to states, cities and other localities based on their case numbers and the size of their populations that are considered high-risk for the disease.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.