US confirms 9th child testing positive for monkeypox

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Oregon health officials announced Wednesday that another child has tested positive for monkeypox.
• This marks the ninth reported pediatric case in the U.S.
• The CDC confirmed 116 cases of monkeypox in Oregon and 13,571 cases in the country as of Wednesday.

The United States has just reported its ninth pediatric case of monkeypox as the total number of cases in the country hits 13,571.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on Wednesday confirmed that a child in the state tested positive for the virus. The child’s case was connected to a confirmed case in an adult. Health officials did not identify the child nor disclose the child’s sex, age, county of residence, or how the child is linked to the previously diagnosed case in an adult.

“We have a known connection to a previously diagnosed case,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, OHA health officer and state epidemiologist, said in a statement. “This child did not get the virus at school, child care or another community setting.”

Since the child tested positive on Aug. 11, the local public health authority has been doing a case investigation and contact tracing to look out for other exposures.

Health officials are providing information on monkeypox and how to prevent spreading while they conduct contact tracing.

Per CDC, monkeypox is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions, and can also be spread by respiratory droplets. Sidelinger says monkeypox does not spread as easily as COVID-19.

“Monkeypox is not COVID-19. This virus is not easily spread unless you have that prolonged, close, skin-to-skin contact with an infected person,” Sidelinger said.

OHA tells people who test positive for monkeypox or those waiting for test results to isolate themselves at home. The health agency also urges people who suspect they have monkeypox to contact their health care provider to let them know before going in to be seen.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 116 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Oregon and 13,571 cases in the United States. Global cases of monkeypox have reached 39,434 across 94 countries.

Source: ABC News