Experts from St. Luke’s University Health Network are advising dentists to be on the lookout for symptoms of monkeypox. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
The network said in a release that its doctors have begun seeing oral monkeypox symptoms, and that oral lesions are present in up to 70% of cases.
Dr. Jeffrey Jahre, St. Luke’s Senior Vice President of Medical and Academic Affairs, and Section Chief Emeritus of Infectious Diseases, said in a statement that early recognition by all healthcare providers – including dentists – could potentially halt the disease’s spread.
The American Dental Association recently issued an advisory to its members relaying the CDC’s basic monkeypox guidance.
It stressed that enhanced protocols implemented during the COVID pandemic continue to keep patients and staff safe during the monkeypox outbreak.
Monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency in the United States and by the World Health Organization.
It is most commonly transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions on an infected person, and common symptoms also include a rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches.
(Original air-date: 8/16/22)
