On Thursday, May 26, Sacramento health officials confirmed a travel-related case of the monkeypox virus.
Our CBS affiliate in Sacramento says the case – which is California’s first – was announced first by public health officials on Tuesday as a probable diagnosis.
On Thursday, with the help of the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the case was confirmed as monkeypox.
Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County’s Public Health Officer, noted that the risk to the general public is “extremely low.”
The World Health Organization says the most recent surge in monkeypox cases has been spread primarily through sex between men, entering the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, or mouth.
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A Sacramento County resident who recently traveled to Europe may have the first confirmed case of the monkeypox virus in California, officials said Tuesday.
Confirmation for the monkeypox virus is pending with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state public health department said in a news release. The patient had traveled to areas in Europe where cases of monkeypox have been confirmed. The patient is isolating at home.
Officials said that the risk of monkeypox to the general public is very low. U.S. cases are related to international travel or from animals imported from areas where the disease is more common, they said.
The state and county began investigating the possible infection Saturday.
Symptoms include fever, headache, muscles aches, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion with the patient developing a rash, often starting on the face, within a day or three of fever.
Transmission occurs when a person comes into prolonged contact with an animal, person or materials that have the virus. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, respiratory tract, or eyes, nose, or mouth.
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