CA Monkeypox: First Case Under Investigation

SACRAMENTO, CA — A likely case of monkeypox has been recorded in Sacramento County, which, if confirmed, would make it the first in California.

"California is reporting its first suspected case of monkeypox infection in Sacramento County in a person who recently traveled abroad," California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a statement Tuesday.

The patient traveled to Europe, which has seen several cases of the disease, county health officials said at a news conference.

The patient was not in contact with other people, health officials said, and the risk to the public is considered very low. Confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pending. Symptoms and preliminary testing indicate it is likely monkeypox.

The California Department of Public Health said it is working with Sacramento County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the state's first suspected case of monkeypox infection in Sacramento County.

Health authorities began investigating the resident Saturday for possible monkeypox infection. The person tested preliminarily positive for an orthopox virus. CDC testing to confirm the preliminary test is pending.

The patient is isolating, and state, county and federal health departments are are working to ensure the patient receives proper care. They're also working to perform contact tracing and post-exposure prevention for close contacts.

Patch has reached out to the Sacramento County Department of Health Services seeking more information and will update when we hear back.

The news comes after the California Department of Public Health said it was closely monitoring monkeypox transmission in the U.S. and California to ensure "rapid identification of cases."

"The risk of monkeypox to the public is currently very low based on the information available," the department said Monday.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory last week after a confirmed case of monkeypox was recorded in Massachusetts. Multiple clusters of monkeypox infections were found in other countries that do not typically see such infections. Many of the cases have been found in people who identify as men who have sex with men, state health officials said.

Monkeypox, usually contained to central and west Africa, is a rare, potentially serious viral illness that usually begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to the rest of the body in a rash, or "pox." Infections can persist for up to four weeks.

There is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox, though limited evidence available indicates smallpox treatments may be useful. Most patients recover with no treatment.

Monkeypox isn't easily spread; it usually occurs through bites or scratches from rodents and small mammals, preparing wild game or coming into contact with an infected animal. Individuals can also be infected through contact with infected people, their clothing or bedsheets.

It enters the body the way infections normally do, through breaks in the skin — even microscopic cuts — and through the eyes, nose or mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Animals can spread it to humans in multiple ways, including through bites and scratches, but also as their meat is being prepared for human consumption. Person-to-person transmission occurs "primarily through large respiratory droplets" that generally can't travel far, according to the CDC.

Monkeypox is primarily found in central and western African countries, including in Nigeria, where about 450 cases have been reported since 2017, according to the CDC.

A Massachusetts man was diagnosed with the first U.S. confirmed case this year after traveling to Canada. One thing that is different with the current monkeypox cases is they are appearing in people who haven't traveled from Africa. Still, U.S. and European health officials stress the risk to humans is very low.

Monkeypox and smallpox symptoms are similar, and the same vaccine that eradicated smallpox around 1950 curbed monkeypox in humans, according to research published in 2005 documenting a re-emergence of monkeypox.

More monkeypox cases have been reported in the United States since the first illness was reported. Currently, about 200 monkeypox cases are either suspected or confirmed in about a dozen countries in Europe and North America. Since the first U.S. monkeypox case was confirmed in Massachusetts last week, others have been suspected or confirmed in Florida, New York, Utah and Washington state.