KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Health officials in Wyandotte County confirmed the first known case of monkeypox Tuesday afternoon.
The Unified Government Public Health Department in Kansas City, Kansas, announced the case around 3 p.m., but noted that the risk to the general public is “low at this time.”
The individual who tested positive is resting at home and close contacts have been notified, the health department said.
The newly announced case is the 22nd in Kansas, but it's not the first in the Kansas City area.
The first case in Kansas City, Missouri, was reported in mid-June 2022, while Johnson County health officials confirmed announced their first case July 10 and the Jackson County Health Department announced its first confirmed case in mid-August.
Clay County announced its first confirmed case of monkeypox Friday.
There have been 120 confirmed cases in Missouri, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The UG Public Health Department said it would work with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment “to respond to this case and monitor monkeypox in Wyandotte County.”
The health department also said it has a limited number of vaccines available for individuals who are at higher risk of exposure to monkeypox, which most often is spread through direct contact with an infected person.
“The vast majority of monkeypox cases in the current outbreak have been linked to sexual activity,” according to information from the UG Public Health Department, but it can spread in other ways.
The KCMO Health Department, also has a limited number of vaccines available. For eligibility information, take the screening survey.
