(LEX 18) — The World Health Organization and the CDC are monitoring two new viruses, one of which is already spreading in America.
There is no vaccination for human parvovirus; it can spread as easily as a common cold or the Coronavirus.
You've probably heard about it for animals, but what is human parvovirus?
"Lethargic, stomach pain, bloody stool, diarrhea, so we are learning more about it," Woodford County Health Commissioner Cassie Prather said.
Prather says that 14 eastern European nations have seen a rise in cases, and Kentucky's Health Commissioners aren't wasting time developing a response and plan of attack.
"We know it's out there," Prather said. "We need to be surveilling, testing, and getting a handle on it before it gets widespread."
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And yet another worry: Mpox, formerly known as Monkey Pox, is also a global concern addressed by WHO after spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
But here in the U.S., the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department released the following:
The WHO says it's a public health emergency of international concern. We have not received any information about any outbreaks locally or state-wide at this point.
Parvovirus, known as the "fifth disease," is a different story. Masking up during COVID actually stipped some people of their natural antibodies to this virus, which presents as a cold with a rash and joint pain. But it can be very serious for those in a certain category.
"Pregnant women and those that have sickle cell anemia are at greater risk for an adverse reaction from human parvovirus," Prather said.
Already, at least one woman in America and her unborn child have been impacted.
