Illinois monkeypox cases pass 1,000

Monkeypox cases in Illinois have reached 1,049 as of Monday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Chicago still has more than three-quarters of the cases in the state. However, there are cases in each of the counties with the state’s largest cities.

Counties with cases are:

• Champaign County – 10
• Chicago (separate from Cook County) – 846
• Cook County – 101
• DeKalb County – 2
• DuPage County – 17
• Kane County – 10
• Kankakee County       1
• Kendall County – 4
• Lake County – 7
• Macon County – 2
• Madison County – 3
• McHenry County – 2
• McLean County – 2
• Rock Island County – 1
• Sangamon County – 2
• St. Clair County – 6
• Will County – 26
• Winnebago County – 2
• Woodford County – 1

Vaccinations are available in Chicago, Cook County, the collar counties and Champaign County. In other counties with cases, vaccines are being given only to those who come in contact with people who have confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases. Contact your local public health department for specifics.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker declared a monkeypox public health emergency at the beginning of August. Despite passing the 1,000 case mark, the number of new cases has been declining since the end of July, with 99 new cases for the week ending on Aug. 28. The high point of weekly cases was 198 for the week ending Aug. 7.

Nationwide, more than 90% of cases have been with men who have sex with men.