Metro man warns others to take precautions as he awaits monkeypox diagnosis

ATLANTA — As Georgia reports more than 200 cases of monkeypox, an Atlanta man remains in the hospital wondering if he has the virus.

This comes just days after the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global emergency.

“I feel horrible,” the man told Channel 2′s Larry Spruill, asking not to be identified.

He spoke to Spruill through his phone from his hospital room at Emory Midtown. He also sent him photos of the blisters on his body, arms and hands.

“I feel like my throat is closing in. All of my sores, feel like they’re burning and bleeding. I have back pains. The last two days I felt really weak,” he said.

And that’s not all of it.

“I had migraines, every day. I can’t sleep. I’m very emotional,” the man said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, muscle aches and backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks.

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“I kind of been suffering in silence because they said two to four weeks,” the man said.

Meanwhile, he’s trying to figure out where and how he got this disease.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Like I said, I don’t know where I got it from. I’ve been trying to scratch my brain,” the man said.

On Friday, Dekalb County and the state will pass out vaccines for monkeypox at county health centers with an appointment.

This comes as Georgia has reported more than 200 cases of monkeypox.

Meanwhile, the local man is asking everyone to take this disease and the vaccine seriously.

“I would definitely urge them to get it. Whatever type of prevention, get it, because this is not something they want to catch,” the man said.

CLICK HERE to learn more information on DeKalb County’s vaccine availability.

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