Monkeypox case confirmed at YMCA camp in Beaver County

A case of monkeypox was confirmed at the YMCA’s Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer in Beaver County, according to officials at the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

“An individual at the YMCA’s Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer has recently been diagnosed with monkeypox,” Carolyn Grady, chief development officer, said in an email to the Tribune-Review. “The individual is currently in quarantine and camp officials are working closely with the Department of Health to mitigate further spread.”

It was not clear if the person diagnosed is an employee or camper.

“We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards of safety and care for our campers and staff year after year — this continues to be our top priority as we address this situation,” Grady said.

The positive case came days after a UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh employee was diagnosed with monkeypox. The employee works in an outpatient clinic.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, monkeypox is similar to smallpox, but it is usually mild and often causes no symptoms.

Those who experience symptoms could have fever, headache, muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes, discomfort and exhaustion.

Within days of the onset of the fever, patients can develop lesions. Some get a rash and then lesions, while others develop a rash only.

While the virus does not spread easily from person to person, officials said, it can be transmitted through prolonged face-to-face contact, intimate contact or touching linens or clothing touched by an infected individual. It can spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed.

The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

There are now 298 monkeypox cases across Pennsylvania, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.