These 7 States Have Monkeypox Cases, Experts Warn

Nine cases of monkeypox have been identified in the U.S., and health officials believe cases will continue to rise. "The U.S. has the resources we need to help us respond to monkeypox in this country right now. We've been preparing for this type of outbreak for decades," says CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. Here are seven states with monkeypox cases. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

The California Department of Public Health is investigating the state's first suspected case of monkeypox in a man from Sacramento County, who is currently isolating at home. "This case appears to be related to recent travel to Europe," says Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye. "[Sacramento County] Public Health is working with CDPH to conduct contact tracing, and risk to the general public is extremely low."

Two cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two men are thought to have become infected after a recent trip to Europe. "The infected individuals remain in isolation and do not present a risk to the public," officials say. "This is not easily spread from human-to-human. We are not talking about COVID here," says executive director of Salt Lake County Health Department Dr. Angela Dunn. "It is really that direct contact with individuals who have monkeypox, and that's how it's spreading right now." 

Two cases of monkeypox have been reported in Broward County, Florida. "It's something we should be aware of, but not something we should alter our way of life for," says Broward Health's interim chief medical officer Dr. Joshua Lenchus.

One case of monkeypox has been reported in New York City. "Monkeypox is rare but can spread through close prolonged contact with an infected person or animal. This might include contact with the skin lesions, body fluids or sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by someone who is infectious, and also through respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact," says the NYC health department. "As a precaution, any New Yorkers who experience flu-like illness with swelling of lymph nodes and rash occurring on the face and body should contact their healthcare provider."

One case of monkeypox has been reported in King County, Washington. "The public and healthcare providers should be aware of the growing international monkeypox outbreak," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health, Seattle and King County. "At this time, we have no evidence that monkeypox is spreading locally, but if there are unrecognized cases, that is a possibility. People should understand that the disease can affect anyone and those who are most at risk are those who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox. The risk is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has symptoms of monkeypox, or has been in contact with someone with monkeypox, should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. This is especially important for those who have also traveled in the last 30 days to a region reporting monkeypox cases, or who is a man who has sex with other men."

One case of monkeypox has been reported in Boston, Massachusetts. "(The DPH) have shared with us that they've been tracking over 200 contacts," says Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. "The vast majority of them are health care workers. It's likely that there are going to be additional cases reported in the United States. The CDC worked really quickly to sequence the virus from the Massachusetts patient and within 48 hours, we had determined that it closely matched the sequence being reported from a Portugal patient."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

One case of monkeypox has been reported in Virginia. "Monkeypox is a very rare disease in the United States. The patient is currently isolating and does not pose a risk to the public," says Virginia Health Commissioner Colin M. Greene. "Transmission requires close contact with someone with symptomatic monkeypox, and this virus has not shown the ability to spread rapidly in the general population."