NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Monkeypox has started rapidly spreading across the world, and now doctors in Arkansas have been preparing to deal with the virus here at home.
So far, there's only been one confirmed case in the state, but local hospitals have started to prepare for the possibility of more cases.
Baptist Health has been using an existing isolation unit that was formerly used for Ebola. It will now be used for patients that test positive for monkeypox.
UAMS does have a high consequence pathogen unit that is normally used for highly contagious and transmissible diseases, but the hospital hasn't been using that unit for monkeypox patients just yet.
"You could adequately care for a patient that needed to be in the hospital in a regular room that has the appropriate airflow capabilities," said Dr. Keyur Vyas, an infectious disease doctor at UAMS.
The hospital has a plan in place for people who test positive for monkeypox, which includes evaluation and testing procedures.
CHI St. Vincent said they have not set up any isolation units for monkeypox.
Symptoms of monkeypox can include rash, fever, headache, muscle ache, and fatigue.
Doctors have recommended if you think you have sores or lesions on your body that could be the disease, to call your doctor's office first to prevent spread.
Dr. Vyas said monkeypox isn't as transmissible as an airborne virus, and it would take being around someone who has the sores for someone else to get infected.
"It's close contact with the lesions of monkeypox, or other objects, like clothing or towels or bedding that have been in contact with those lesions," said Dr. Vyas.
When we reached out to the Arkansas Department of Health to see if they had any guidelines for isolating with monkeypox they said there currently aren't any.
While the department of health continues to monitor monkeypox, the state's top doctor said they still consider COVID-19 to be the top priority.