A second suspected case of monkeypox has been identified in Colorado.
The case is awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment.
“The new alleged case is a young elderly man who has sought care in the Denver area and is improving and isolating himself at home,” CDPHE said.
The first possible case in the state was announced by health officials on Thursday. This patient is described as a young man from the Denver area who traveled to Canada, which deals with an outbreak of monkeypox.
The alleged case on Friday is close to the state’s first alleged case, health officials said.
“The person who became infected with the virus is in close contact with a person known to the public as a suspected case of monkeypox,” CDPHE said.
Monkeypox often begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion, CDPHE said. The rash usually develops within one to three days after the onset of the fever, often starting in the face and spreading to other parts of the body.
Health officials say the risk of smallpox to society remains low and that an effective vaccine is available that can be given soon after exposure to minimize the disease. It is rarely fatal.
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