3rd Possible Case Of Monkeypox Detected In Sacramento County

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) - There is now a third possible case of monkeypox in Sacramento County.

This case was detected through the contact tracing of the first case, say public health officials. The person who has the illness is now isolated.

Health officials are waiting for the CDC to confirm that this was monkeypox.

The second possible infection was detected on Friday. The first case, which was confirmed by the CDC, was found on Thursday. It was also the first case of the illness in California.

While it's not an STD, monkeypox is spread primarily through sex between men, entering the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the eyes, nose, or mouth, the World Health Organization says.

Health officials in Europe have been raising the alarm about an outbreak of the rare disease in recent weeks. More than 90 cases across a dozen countries have been recorded so far – including the U.K., Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, Australia, and the US.

The smallpox vaccine, which works to protect against monkeypox, is being delivered to public health authorities.