Health officials say there have now been 25 confirmed cases of Monkeypox in the United States, with potential new ones found in Washington DC and San Francisco.
Authorities say that a Washington DC resident tested positive for Orthopox on Saturday, the family of viruses that Monkeypox belongs to.
“On June 4, the DC public health lab confirmed the first positive Orthopox case in a district resident who reported recent travel to Europe,” the DC Health Department said in a statement
“The collected samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further testing and confirmation of the Monkeypox virus.
“The patient is currently isolating and does not pose a risk to the public. DC Health is identifying and monitoring close contacts. However, at this time no additional cases have been identified in the districts.”
The San Francisco Department of Public Health announced their first probable case of Monkeypox on Friday.
The CDC says a US resident first tested positive for Monkeypox after returning from Canada on 18 May.
CDC data released on 3 June stated that there were 25 confirmed cases in 12 states, including California, Florida and New York.
The World Health Organisation said on Sunday that there have been around 780 confirmed cases of Monkeypox in 27 countries where the virus is not normally found.
Health officials describe the virus as “a rare but potentially serious viral illness that can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with body fluid or Monkeypox lesions.”
Symptoms include headache, fever, muscle aches, lymph node swelling, and exhaustion.
After several days with the virus, a rash will appear on the face and spread to other parts of the body, and the virus normally lasts two to four weeks.
