The first presumptive case of a monkeypox infection in Los Angeles County was confirmed by L.A. County Department of Public Health officials Thursday.
The case is still awaiting final confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release from the LADPH.
The patient, described only as an adult resident, apparently traveled recently and had a known close contact to another monkeypox case.
The patient is symptomatic but is doing well and has not been hospitalized. The person is being isolated from others, the news release stated.
Officials said the risk of monkeypox to the general population remains very low.
“Monkeypox is very different than COVID-19,” Dr. Jonathan D. Grein of Cedars-Sinai told KTLA. “This disease has been around for decades … it typically requires close contact or sometimes intimate contact between people. It’s not a disease that spreads in casual settings.”
More information about monkeypox can be found at ph.lacounty.gov/media/Monkeypox.