First ‘Probable’ Case Of Monkeypox ID’d In New Hampshire: Health Officials

CONCORD, NH — The first “probable” case of monkeypox has been identified in the state of New Hampshire, health officials said Wednesday.

The patient is a resident of Rockingham County but no additional information is being released “out of respect for patient privacy,” officials said.

The state’s public health lab conducted a test on the person after they developed symptoms. The department has sent information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The state is working to find others who may have been exposed to the person.

Monkeypox, the state said, was a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus — which belongs to the same group of viruses as smallpox. Transmission of monkeypox requires close interaction with a person infected with the virus. Brief interactions do not appear to be high risk — transmission usually involves close physical or intimate contact or healthcare examinations conducted not using appropriate protective equipment.

“The first probable case of monkeypox in New Hampshire has been identified,” Dr. Jonathan Ballard, DHHS Chief Medical Officer, said. “While this is a concerning development, the risk to the general public is very low. We are investigating this situation to determine whether additional people may have been exposed.”

Symptoms include fever, headache, exhaustion, muscle aches, a sore throat, coughing, and swollen lymph nodes. A skin rash will appear a few days after the initial symptoms. Infected people usually have lesions on their skins. They are contagious until the skin lesions have scabbed over or fallen off the skin. The illness tends to last two to four weeks.

Any person with a new skin rash or skin lesions concerned about monkeypox, especially if accompanied by other monkeypox symptoms, should talk to their healthcare provider.

Testing should be considered if the skin rash and other symptoms occurred:

• Within a few weeks after traveling to another country where monkeypox is being reported.
• After close contact with a person who has a similar skin rash, or who is suspected or confirmed to have monkeypox.
• After intimate physical or sexual contact with a partner, especially after intimate-sexual contact that occurred during travel.

The CDC identified 224 monkeypox cases in 26 states as of June 27.

More information about the monkeypox outbreak is available on the CDC’s Monkeypox Outbreak 2022 website. For more information on monkeypox, visit the DHHS Monkeypox webpage.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.