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Fourth possible case of monkeypox in Sacramento County identified by health officials

Health officials said that despite the new case, transmission rates and risk to the general public remain low.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif — Officials with the Sacramento County Public Health announced Monday they may have found a fourth probable case of monkeypox in the county through contact tracing.

County officials are awaiting confirmation from CDC. This announcement comes more than a week after the first and second suspected monkeypox cases were announced by county officials.  

Health officials said in a press release that despite the new case, transmission rates and risk to the general public remain low.

Read more: Here's what the WHO knows about monkeypox so far

According to Sacramento County Public Health, monkeypox, a flu-like virus in the same family as smallpox, is rarely found in the U.S.

Symptoms of monkeypox include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a widespread rash across the face and body. Infections typically last between two and four weeks and only one in every 100 cases are fatal, generally only seriously affecting those that are immunocompromised.

According to the CDC, the first human case of monkeypox was discovered in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus has since been tracked on several continents and transmission rates are continuously being investigated by the CDC.

More information about monkeypox can be found on the CDC website.

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