Local/Regional News

First reported probable case of Monkeypox in Lexington

WUKY | By WUKY Staff

Published August 17, 2022 at 12:41 PM EDT

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP)

Fayette County has its first confirmed case of monkeypox, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Health officials say they are working with the patient, medical providers, and any possible contacts this person may have made.

There have been 15 total cases in Kentucky so far, according to the CDC. The CDC says there have also been 12,689 confirmed monkeypox cases across the United States.

The health department is holding a monkeypox vaccine clinic tomorrow from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Central Baptist Church on Wilson Downing Road. There are still slots available. The clinic is only for men who have sex with men (MSM), including those who identify as gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming or gender non-binary, with certain risk factors. You do not have to be a Fayette County resident to receive the vaccine, but you MUST register in advance.