The Delaware County Health Department has confirmed nine cases so far of monkeypox among county residents, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.

It joins the Bucks County Health Department, which has confirmed six cases, Montgomery County with four cases and Chester County with one case as of Aug. 4.

Each health department has performed contact tracing and offered a post-exposure vaccine to the infected.

The infected residents are being treated by healthcare providers.

Monkeypox is an infection caused by the rare monkeypox virus. It is known for a distinctive rash and is related to small pox, but much milder. It is rarely fatal.

The virus spreads through close physical contact such as hugging, kissing and sexual activity.

Symptoms include a rash that looks like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.  Other symptoms are fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes.

The Delaware County Health Department has set up a web page with information on monkeypox.

There were about 125 cases in Pennsylvania, 118 in New Jersey and 4 cases in Delaware as of Aug. 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read more at WHYY about monkeypox coming to Delaware County.

White House COVID czar talks about monkeypox.