Two more monkeypox cases found in Sacramento County, unrelated to first 5, officials say
Sacramento County health officials have detected two new probable cases of monkeypox, the sixth and seventh local infections identified since late May after none had been disclosed in more than a week, in two residents who recently traveled.
The cases are “unrelated” to the first five cases discovered, county health spokeswoman Samantha Mott said in an emailed statement.
The two cases announced Thursday are “related to travel within the United States,” Mott added.
It was not clear where in the U.S. the two people traveled.
The county’s first case, disclosed May 24, was linked to international travel, and the next four cases were linked to that case via contact tracing.
“Public Health has begun contact tracing” for the two new cases “and the investigation is ongoing,” Mott said.
An update to the county health office’s webpage for monkeypox showed the local case count for probable and confirmed cases increasing from five on Wednesday to six Thursday morning, then to seven by midday.
The first five cases were all confirmed as monkeypox by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mott said Wednesday.
The California Department of Public Health as of Tuesday afternoon reported 17 total probable or confirmed cases statewide. Monkeypox has been detected in Alameda, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles counties, according to local health officials.
Sacramento County officials announced the fourth likely case on June 6 and the fifth on June 7. The county announced the discovery of the first local case, also California’s first detected case, on May 24 in a resident who recently returned from international travel.
Previously discovered cases in the county have been linked to existing cases via contact tracing, county health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said on a call with reporters early last week.
Kasirye also said more details cannot be shared about those who are infected because the count remains small and confidentiality must be maintained.
The contact tracing process “starts over again” each time a new presumptive case is identified, she said.
“It will be at least three weeks of no additional cases before we can close this,” Kasirye said of monkeypox spread in Sacramento County, with that amount of time marking the high end of the incubation period.
In statements after the fourth and fifth cases were found in the county, Kasirye called the risk to the general public “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 and spreading to other parts of the body, normally about one to three days after fever.
The incubation period is typically 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.
Doctors and public health officials urge residents to practice safe sex. These practices may include abstaining from sex, practicing monogamy and using condoms during sex to limit exposure to the virus.
CDC data updated Wednesday listed 84 total cases across 18 U.S. states plus D.C. The CDC reported California at 16 cases, tied with New York for the most, followed by Illinois at 10 and Florida at nine.
More than 2,000 cases have been confirmed globally across 36 countries, according to the CDC.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 11:18 AM.
