(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Oakland County are both taking steps to curb the spread of monkeypox.
As of Wednesday, there are 19 confirmed cases in Michigan. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to infectious diseases specialists, the vast majority of people infected with monkeypox recover just fine.
However, to avoid further risks, the state created a new website with information on the virus, while Oakland County created a new task force.
“What we have seen right now, for example, with monkeypox is because of the way the testing is and the treatment is, we’re going to have to involve the states and the state public health group at each level," Dr. Payal Patel, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Michigan, said.
She said proactive measures are needed and welcome in the fight against monkeypox.
The state's website details the signs and symptoms, providers, treatment and the number of confirmed cases and their location. The Oakland County Health Department's task force is designed to educate, coordinate care, "vaccine distribution and to call on the federal government to increase and expedite the supply of monkeypox vaccine."
Oakland County has eight of the state's 19 confirmed cases.
“That means there’s... that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m afraid, and I’m pretty sure that there’s more cases out there and I think that’s why we’re seeing that proactive action at the state and the national level," Patel explained.
She said some of the outward signs are lesions spotted on the hands, chest and genitals. It’s important to know, according to experts, that most cases are currently spreading through sexual activity from man to man.
However, Patel said that doesn’t mean it can’t spread other ways.
“Because it can be spread by close contact that often means, like, people you live with, that you may share a towel with or a bed with because potentially those lesions are infectious and so it could potentially be transmitted through something else," she explained.
Oakland County plans to formally announce the task force Thursday at 10 a.m.
