(WXYZ) — Beaumont Health on Thursday answered questions about monkeypox after the first probable case was found in Oakland County.
According to the CDC, there are 306 confirmed cases in 27 states, including Washington D.C.
RELATED: CDC's FAQ on Monkeypox
Dr. Matthew Sims, Director of Infectious Diseases Research at Beaumont Health, cast doubt on people's worries that this could be the next COVID-19.
“This is not another COVID … this is different, it doesn’t spread the same way. It’s not nearly as contagious, it really spreads by contact,” said Dr. Sims.
Watch his full Q&A below:
He said monkepox is a pox virus, and that it's been around for a long time.
"We were very successful at eliminating small pox using vaccination," added Dr. Sims.
On Tuesday, the White House said they will be securing nearly 240,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine over the next several weeks.
Michigan health officials say not to panic as the person infected is self-isolating away from others.
That patient showed signs of rashes, one of many symptoms of monkeypox according to Dr. Calandra Green.
"Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches and backaches. Swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion. But a rash, that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face. They can be inside the mouth or other parts of the body," she said.
Dr. Sims said that there are varying strains of monkeypox and that this strain appears to be milder.
“We don’t expect it to get completely out of control … but it’s important that we take precautions to try to get this under control," said Dr. Sims.
He said if you think you may have been exposed to monkeypox, it's best to reach out first to your local health department for next steps.
