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Two more possible cases of monkeypox identified in Sacramento County

Two more possible cases of monkeypox have been identified in Sacramento County that are unrelated to the initial five cases.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Officials with the Sacramento County Public Health announced Thursday they may have found two more possible cases of monkeypox.

County officials say these two cases are unrelated to the initial five. These cases stemmed from travel within the United States.

County officials are awaiting confirmation from CDC and have started contact-tracing. These two cases brings the total number of possible cases of monkeypox to seven in Sacramento County 

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

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.

   

Watch more from ABC10: Fourth possible case of monkeypox in Sacramento County identified by health officials

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