Sacramento County public health officials said Friday that they have identified a second suspected case of monkeypox.
The case comes just days after the county reported its first case of monkeypox virus in a person who has just returned from a trip to Europe where cases of monkeypox have been reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has completed testing of the original sample, which confirmed the diagnosis of monkeypox, health officials said.
This second person is in close contact with the original patient and the connection was made by tracking contacts, health officials said. This sample will be sent to the CDC to confirm the diagnosis.
Both have been isolated in their homes and are not in contact with other people, health officials said.
Symptoms of monkeypox, which is similar to smallpox but less severe, include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. An infected person usually develops a rash that starts in the face and spreads to other parts of the body within one to three days of a fever.
The incubation period for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days, but can be shorter or longer, and the disease can generally last two to four weeks, health officials said. The virus could kill up to 10 percent of those infected, health officials said.
Annie Weinstein (she) is a freelance writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com
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