U.S. declares monkeypox a health emergency
Vaccinations are available in Cook County
Everyone is urged to take the monkeypox virus seriously.
The monekypox virus (MPV) is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. MPV symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder. While painful, monkeypox is rarely fatal, particularly in the United States.
The World Health Organization and the State of Illinois have also declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency.
The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) is tracking cases, conducting contact tracing, and providing technical assistance to healthcare providers in its jurisdiction.
The MPV is spread by skin-to-skin contact (particularly intimate contact), prolonged exposure to an infected person’s respiratory droplets, or close contact with lesions/objects that have had contact with bodily lesions (e.g., linens, towels, dishes).
Symptoms include fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash. Any person can get monkeypox, but a majority of the cases in this outbreak have been found in men who have sex with men.
Supply of the FDA-approved MPV vaccine, Jynneos, remains limited. Cook County Health (CCH) is striving to prioritize vaccinating individuals who are at highest risk for contracting the virus. CCH is offering MPV screening and vaccination at the CORE Center on Chicago’s West Side. CCH is working closely with the Chicago Department of Public Health and CCDPH to ensure clinical sites are prepared for MPV diagnostics, patient education, vaccination and treatment.
CCDPH is also working with other suburban hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies to establish partnerships to provide vaccine in suburban communities. CCDPH continues to receive limited supply of vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile through the Illinois Department of Public Health.
While any person can get the MPV, MPV vaccine is not recommended for the general public. CCH is offering monkeypox screenings and vaccinations by appointment. To make an appointment, call 312-572-4500 and press 0.
Thinking about going solar?
Don't miss Grow Solar Chicagoland
With energy costs rising, now is the perfect time to explore the benefits of solar energy to save money on utility bills.
For a third year, Cook County is co-sponsoring Grow Solar Chicagoland, a solar group buy program run by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and Citizens Utility Board. This program makes solar more affordable and easier to attain for Chicagoland residents through community education and volume purchasing. The more residents who participate, the lower the cost. The program will close on Friday, September 30, 2022.
Since the program began, 114 Cook County residents installed a total of 743 kW of solar through the program.
Learn more about solar energy for your home and about the Grow Solar program by attending a free Solar Power Hour presentation.
Topics covered include:
--how to participate in Grow Solar Chicagoland
--the basics of solar market trends
--financials
--how to tell if a site is suitable for solar
Learn More
To learn more about the program visit www.growsolar.org/chicagoland.
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Cook County is responsible for providing essential services in the areas of public safety, public health, the court system, elections, tax assessment and appeals, recording deeds, and managing forest preserves. As an independent-minded member of the Board, I have worked hard to combine fiscal responsibility with social awareness. I am honored to serve the people of the 9th district, which includes: portions of the far northwest side of Chicago; Park Ridge, River Forest, Elmwood Park, Harwood Heights, Mount Prospect, Norridge, River Grove, Rosemont, and Schiller Park; portions of Arlington Heights, Melrose Park, Morton Grove, Niles, and Prospect Heights; and unincorporated Norwood Park, Maine, and Wheeling Townships.
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