The Chicago Department of Public Health has detected seven cases of monkeypox in the city as of Sunday, department officials announced in a notice on Monday. The virus spreads through close contact and has been reported most widely among communities of men who have sex with men. One Chicago resident who tested positive reported attending the International Mr. Leather (IML) conference in Chicago from May 26-30, officials said, and residents from another state who were diagnosed with monkeypox also reported attending the IML conference. Monkeypox is a “potentially serious viral illness” and can present as “flu-like symptoms early on and progress to lesions that may begin on one part of the body and spread to other areas,” health officials said.