SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Sacramento County public health officials say they are investigating a likely case related to monkeypox virus trips.
The likely case, which would be the first in California, was announced Tuesday by public health officials.
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“This case appears to be related to a recent trip to Europe,” Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in a statement.
Dr. Kasirye noted that the risk to the general public is “extremely low.”
California Department of Public Health officials say they began investigating the suspicious case on Saturday. The person initially tested positive for orthopox virus and is now isolating himself.
“Because the disease is rare, health care providers may not be familiar with the presentation of monkeypox and the possibility of transmission of monkeypox during intimate or sexual contact may not be well known.” , said Dr. Erica Pan, California State Epidemiologist in a statement. “As such, CDPH is promoting awareness among health care providers and the public, including proper infection control for cases of monkeypox in the health care environment.”
Although not an STD, the World Health Organization says the latest increase in smallpox cases is transmitted mainly through sex between men, entering the body through broken skin, airways or eyes, nose or mouth.
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Health authorities in Europe have sounded the alarm over an outbreak of the rare disease in recent weeks. To date, more than 90 cases have been reported in a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, Australia, and the United States.
Only one case of smallpox in the United States, a person in Boston, has been confirmed. However, other suspicious cases have been reported in Florida and New York.
While confirmatory evidence from both the CDC and the California Department of Public Health is pending, Sacramento County officials say symptoms and their preliminary evidence lead them to believe that confirmation of the monkey’s smallpox is likely for your case.
Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis, says we already know things about the monkeypox virus.
“Monkeypox is a viral infection and is transmitted mainly through animals such as rodents and primates in Central and West Africa to humans, but it can also be transmitted from person to person through prolonged close contact with someone,” he said. to say.
People suffering from monkeypox will show distinctive rashes and lesions. It can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person. Other common symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. Health officials say the incubation period can range from 5 to 21 days, and the disease usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
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The smallpox vaccine, which works to protect against smallpox, is being delivered to public health authorities.