CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The City of Chicago's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection helped present the webinar on Monkeypox to local businesses, which featured Chicago Public Health official Dr. Janna Kerins.
She said in Chicago, close to 300 residents have been diagnosed with Monkeypox.
"Most, though not all, of the Chicagoans have been gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with other men," Kerins said.
Kerins added that, so far, the virus is mostly affecting middle-aged or young adults.
Although Kerins said the overall risk remains low, others stressed that Monkeypox does not discriminate.
"Really monkeypox is not limited to people who are sexually active or gay, biseuxual, or other men who have sex with men," said Chicago Public Health official Massimo Pacilli.
A question-and-answer portion focused heavily on the spread of Monkeypox.
Kerins said Monkeypox requires direct, skin-to-skin contact in order to spread.
"[Monkeypox] is not typically spread through just a casual conversation with someone," Kerrins said.
Pacilli said nothing in the biology of Monkeypox makes gay or bisexual men more susceptible to catching the virus.
"Anyone who has close physical contact with somebody who is infectious is at risk," said Chicago Public Health official Massimo Pacilli. "The reason why we're seeing, at present, this spread … is probably a result of the introduction of the virus in a population and then the person-to-person transmission within that network."
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