First Probable Monkeypox Case Detected In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials on Wednesday reported the county’s first probable monkeypox case.

Tests conducted on tissue samples from an unidentified man from eastern Riverside County showed a preliminary positive for an orthopoxvirus, and additional testing will be conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm whether it is monkeypox, according to Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County.

County officials did not identify the male patient but said he is under the age of 60 and was seen in an outpatient setting. Hospitalization was not required, according to a news release from the county.

Local health officials were coordinating with the California Department of Public Health to make sure all state recommendations and guidelines were being followed, the county said.

“We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the case to determine the best course of action moving forward,” Leung said. “Given that there have been other probable cases in the region it is not surprising that we would have one in Riverside County.”

Health officials in Los Angeles and San Diego counties have also reported probable cases. There have been cases reported in various other states, but the CDC classified the threat to the general population as “low.”

County health officials reported that monkeypox is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and does not spread easily between people without close contact.

Symptoms include a rash that may look like pimples or blisters, which may be accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes or fatigue.

Early data suggested that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of monkeypox cases, according to the CDC. But anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk, the federal agency reported.

There are no treatments specifically for monkeypox. In limited situations, vaccination (developed to prevent smallpox) may be recommended for close contacts or those who may have been exposed to the virus, county officials reported.

Scientists at the CDC were tracking multiple cases of monkeypox reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox (view global map), including the United States. For travelers, see the Travel Health Notice for Monkeypox in Multiple Countries.

For more information about monkeypox, visit the California Department of Public Health here.