SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — Health officials have confirmed a monkeypox case in Snohomish County and identified a probable case of monkeypox in Pierce County.
The monkeypox case in Snohomish County was identified in an adult male on Friday afternoon, according to the Snohomish Health District. Public health staff are working with the man to identify with whom he may have come in close contact.
On Saturday, a man in Pierce County in his 30s tested positive for Orthopoxvirus, the genus of virus that causes monkeypox and other illnesses like smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC is working on confirming whether or not the man does have monkeypox. Tacoma-Pierce County Health officials are currently identifying who the man has been in close contact with.
As of Monday, there are 19 confirmed or probable monkeypox cases in Washington state, according to the CDC.
Monkeypox is spread through close physical contact. Symptoms include a rash that causes bumps, blisters or ulcers. The virus can also cause fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
Anyone can get monkeypox, but some people are at increased risk of exposure due to the virus spreading in certain communities, including people who are sexually active with multiple partners, people traveling to areas where monkeypox is spreading more widely and men who have sex with men.
Most people who have monkeypox typically recover in two to four weeks, according to the Snohomish Health District. However, the disease can be serious, particularly for those who are immunocompromised, for children, people with a history of eczema or people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.