As U.S. declares monkeypox national health emergency, Dartmouth Health gives updates on its response to crisis

On Thursday, August 4, the Biden administration declared the growing monkeypox outbreak in the United States a national health emergency. Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that causes skin lesions, often preceded or followed by influenza-like symptoms, with possible complications including significant scarring, secondary infections, pneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, and loss of vision with severe eye infection. The current outbreak began in May and the disease was first detected in New Hampshire in late June.

To address concerns from the public about monkeypox, Dartmouth Health has established a hotline to answer general questions about the disease. The hotline number is 603-650-1818 and it is operational Monday-Friday from 7 am-5 pm, and Saturday from 8 am-12 pm. The hotline is closed on Sundays.

If you believe you have come into contact with or contracted monkeypox, you may call the Dartmouth Health hotline for information, and you should isolate at home and contact your primary care provider to determine next steps with respect to your care. Visiting an emergency department immediately is not recommended.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with monkeypox remain isolated at home or at another location for the duration of illness, but that might not be possible in all situations,” said Jessica L. Swain, MBA, MLT, CIC, director of Infection Prevention and Control at Dartmouth Health. “Prioritizing isolation and source control strategies helps prevent transmission while balancing the impact of this infection on the daily lives of people diagnosed with monkeypox.”

Monkeypox is spread through close contact that may include sexual/intimate activity; direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox; scratches/bites from an infected animal, or preparing or eating meat or using products from an infected animal; touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox; or contact with respiratory secretions such as saliva from someone with monkeypox coming in contact with someone’s eye or mouth. Being in a room with someone with monkeypox without the above exposures is low risk for transmission, especially if fotr less than three hours and/or greater than six feet away. Symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
• A rash that may be located on or near the genitals or anus, but could also be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth
• The rash will go through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
• The rash can look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.

Infections with the type of monkeypox identified in the current outbreak are rarely fatal, but can be more dangerous for people with immunodeficiency and/or comorbidities. The risk level for children and pregnant people is unknown, and monkeypox may be passed from a pregnant person to a fetus.

For more information on monkeypox, visit:

• CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html
• New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/disease-prevention/infectious-disease-control/monkeypox
• Vermont Department of Health: https://www.healthvermont.gov/disease-control/zoonotic-diseases/human-monkeypox-virus-hmpxv
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health: https://www.mass.gov/monkeypox