AUGUSTA, Maine — UPDATE AUG. 8, 2022: The Maine Center for Disease Control has updated the total number of confirmed monkeypox cases of Maine residents to two, with one male adult confirmed in York County and the other male adult confirmed in Aroostook County. Previous reporting suggested a third case of a male adult from Penobscot County was confirmed. However, the CDC notes that cases may be reassigned to other states upon investigation.
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Original Story:
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a third case of monkeypox in Maine.
The Maine CDC reported the case on the "monkeypox" section of its website. The agency said it would update the case count Monday through Friday.
In a tweet Friday, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said the third case in the state was a person from Aroostook County. He did not include any further identifying information about the patient.
The announcement comes the same week health officials identified the state's second case in a man from Penobscot County. The first person to test positive for monkeypox in Maine was a male resident in York County.
Monkeypox symptoms include a rash or sores, bumps, and lesions that are painful. Some people may also experience flu-like symptoms, a fever, or fatigue.
Shah said 5,189 monkeypox cases had been confirmed in the U.S. as of July 29.
The virus spreads almost entirely through interpersonal, skin-to-skin contact, according to Shah. He said intimate contact, especially sexual contact, is the primary spreader of the virus.
"We're going to do what's best for people in Maine and try to minimize the chance that monkeypox spreads and maximize our chances of reducing the impact on those who are at risk," Shah told NEWS CENTER Maine on July 22.
"Right now, the risk [to] the general public is low. And that's a good thing. Our goal is to keep it that way. We want to make sure that those who are at a higher relative risk have what they need to stay safe."
The federal government has issued doses of a monkeypox vaccine called Jynneos to Maine. As of July 22, there were enough doses to vaccinate 311 people. Shah said the state should receive more doses in mid-August.
Shah emphasized it is particularly important right now that people are candid about their sexual health history when meeting prospective partners.
For more information about monkeypox, how it's spread, and how to prevent yourself from getting it, click here.
To view the U.S. CDC monkeypox outbreak tracker, click here.