The number of smallpox cases reported by monkeys in the United States now stands at 12, as a second suspected case has been identified in Colorado.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Friday that the new case involves a “young adult man who sought care in the Denver area and is improving and isolating himself at home.”
The young male was in close contact with a man who recently traveled to Canada and is believed to have had the first case of smallpox in Colorado.
Both cases are awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two cases have also been reported each in the states of California. Florida and Utah.
New York, Washington, Massachusetts, and Virginia each have a reported case.
Monkeypox causes skin damage and usually leaves patients with flu symptoms.CDC / Getty Images
Ireland, meanwhile, confirmed its first case on Saturday, according to Reuters. Another suspicious case is also being investigated.
The World Health Organization says about 200 cases of smallpox have been reported in more than 20 countries that are not known to have outbreaks of the disease.
Smallpox from the monkey causes skin damage and usually leaves patients with flu symptoms. It was first identified in monkeys and rarely spreads outside of Africa, making the latest eruption of cases alarming for health officials.