Third monkeypox case found in Sacramento County, another close contact of first
A third “probable” case of monkeypox has been detected in Sacramento County, health officials said Tuesday, one week after announcing the discovery of the first local case.
The third case is a person who had close contact with the first local resident who tested positive, county health spokeswoman Samantha Mott confirmed in an emailed response.
The county identified the case through contact tracing, Mott said. County health officials are awaiting confirmation of the third case from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she said.
The first case, disclosed by county health officials on May 24 as a suspected case and lab-confirmed as monkeypox by the CDC last Thursday, had recently returned from travel to Europe, county health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in a statement.
The second suspected case, announced by county health officials Friday, also had close contact with the first patient.
Health officials including Kasirye have said the risk to the general public remains very low.
Spread of monkeypox is linked to prolonged, skin-to-skin exposure, according to experts.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. The patient typically develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body, normally about one to three days after fever.
The incubation period one to two weeks but can range up to three weeks, and the illness typically lasts two to four weeks, according to the county news release.
Fifteen monkeypox cases had been confirmed nationwide as of Monday evening, according to the CDC: three in California; three in Florida; two in each of Colorado, New York and Utah; and one in each of Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington state.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 1:54 PM.
