Colorado Health Officials Report Second Presumptive Monkeypox Case

(CBS4)- The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Public Health has confirmed a second presumptive monkeypox case and is awaiting CDC confirmation. The second case is a person who was a close contact of the person who is the first presumptive monkeypox case in Colorado.

The person connected to the latest presumptive case is said to be cooperating with state and local public health officials who are investigating and notifying people who may have been exposed.

The first presumptive case is a young adult male who sought care in the Denver metro area, had recently traveled to Canada where there is an outbreak of monkeypox. That presumptive case was made public on Thursday, just one day before the second presumptive case.

The CDPHE said the risk to the public continues to be low.

According to the CDPHE, Monkeypox often begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. Typically a rash develops within one to three days after the onset of fever, often beginning on the face and spreading to other parts of the body. In recent cases, the rash often starts in the genital or perianal area. The associated monkeypox rash can look similar to other infections like syphilis or herpes. The incubation period for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days, but can range from less than five to 21 days. Most people recover within two to four weeks. Coloradans can help prevent the spread of monkeypox by avoiding close physical contact with individuals who have acquired monkeypox, wearing a high-quality mask if they will be spending time in close contact with someone experiencing symptoms of monkeypox, and contacting a health care provider as soon as possible if they experience symptoms.

The CDPHE also released these quick facts about monkeypox:
• The risk to the public continues to be low.
• Monkeypox is rarely fatal. The version of monkeypox spreading right now in non-endemic countries has a fatality rate of less than 1%.
• There is an effective vaccine for monkeypox that can be administered soon after exposure to prevent or lessen the severity of the illness. The state of Colorado has received vaccines from the federal government.
• Anyone can get monkeypox. The virus does not discriminate against any group.
• Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted infection but is spread through close contact.
• Brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in transmission.

Monkeypox outbreaks are currently occurring in Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, and other European countries, according to the CDC. Monkeypox is rare in the United States, but has happened in people with international travel or people who had contact with animals from areas where the disease is more common.

Two vaccines are available for the prevention of monkeypox and Colorado is requesting vaccines from the federal government.