(U-WIRE) IOWA CITY, Iowa - Thirty-one employees at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have been vaccinated against monkeypox following recommendations by the Iowa Department of Public Health, an action coming in the wake of health officials reporting 15 confirmed cases and 82 possible cases of the disease in eight states.

The UI Health Care Smallpox Response Team is a portion of the more than 500 health-care workers statewide who have been vaccinated with the smallpox virus ÷ the most proven treatment for monkeypox ÷ as part of the first phase in the bioterrorism national-response plan.

"There are no suspected or confirmed cases in Iowa," said Kevin Teale, the public-health agency's communications director, adding that the health department has e-mailed Iowa doctors and hospitals advising them to be on the lookout.

The signs and symptoms of monkeypox are like those of smallpox, but usually they are milder, and the disease causes around 30 percent fewer fatalities, said Mary Gilchrist, the director of UI Hygienic Laboratory. Early symptoms include fever, muscle aches, backache, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. As the disease progresses, the infected person will develop a rash, characterized by raised bumps, on the face or other parts of the body.