The first case of monkeypox appears to have been detected in Los Angeles County, officials said Thursday morning, June 2.
The result is presumptive, pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An adult resident recently traveled, and came in contact with “a known close contact to a case,” according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
The patient is doing fine, officials said, adding that the person is not hospitalized but isolated from others.
Because monkeypox cases are usually more common in African nations, its appearance in the United States has generated headlines, particularly among a populace weary of the COVID-19 pandemic. But health officials insist monkeypox is far less infectious.
The risk of monkeypox in the general population remains very low, however, county officials said.
At least 10 monkeypox infections have been confirmed in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three cases of monkeypox were previously confirmed in Sacramento County in Northern California.
No deaths have been identified in the U.S.
Monkeypox usually begins with symptoms similar to the flu, including fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, exhaustion and swollen lymph nodes. Infectious lesions then form on the body. Monkeypox is primarily spread through sustained skin-to-skin contact with these lesions. A person is considered no longer contagious once the lesions have disappeared and a new layer of skin has formed.
Most people with monkeypox have a mild illness that improves without treatment over 2 to 4 weeks.
L.A. County Public Health said the department is continuing to investigate and will conduct contact tracing and post-exposure prevention for close contacts.
The World Health Organization says nearly 600 cases of monkeypox have been reported in more than 30 countries not usually known to have outbreaks of the unusual disease, but described the epidemic as “containable” and proposed creating a stockpile to equitably share the limited vaccines and drugs available worldwide.
People who have symptoms of monkeypox, particularly the characteristic rash or lesions, should take the following steps, according to county public health officials:
- Visit a medical provider for an evaluation
- Cover the area of the rash with clothing
- Wear a mask
- Avoid skin-to-skin, or close contact with others
According to the CDC, these steps are vital for anyone who recently traveled to an area where monkeypox cases have been reported. You can find a list on the CDC website.
For more information on monkeypox: click here.
Countries including Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Israel and Australia have reported more than 500 monkeypox cases, many apparently tied to sexual activity at two recent raves in Europe.
Meanwhile, the African continent has reported about three times as many cases this year.
There have been more than 1,400 monkeypox cases and 63 deaths in four countries where the disease is endemic — Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Nigeria — according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, sequencing has not yet shown any direct link to the outbreak outside Africa, health officials say.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
