4 New Suspected Monkeypox Cases Discovered In Sacramento County; Total Now 14

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – There are now more than a dozen presumptive monkeypox cases in Sacramento County, health officials say.

On Wednesday, Sacramento County Public Health announced they had identified four new suspected cases of monkeypox. The cases appear to be related to inter-state travel and are unrelated to the other cases previously reported in Sacramento.

The new suspected infections bring the total number of Sacramento County cases to 14.

While contact tracing is underway, public health officials say the risk to the general public is still low.

"We are encouraging those who meet high-risk criteria to get vaccinated in hopes of preventing additional Monkeypox cases," said Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye in a statement.

Suspected cases of monkeypox are now being reported across the US. Some cities, like San Francisco, are seeing a surge in people looking for the vaccine.

The FDA says there are two vaccines currently available for preventing monkeypox infection. One of them, known as JYNNEOS or Imvamune, is in short supply.