PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Health officials in Rhode Island on Thursday announced the state’s first probable case of monkeypox.
A man is his 30s from Providence County tested positive for an orthopox virus and confirmation for monkeypox is pending testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
This case is believed to to be related to travel to Massachusetts, health officials noted. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported the state’s first case in May.
Health officials are now conducting contact tracing to identify people who may have been exposed to the man while he was infectious. Contacts will be monitored for three weeks after their last day of exposure.
Monkeypox is not known to spread easily among humans and transmission occurs primarily through direct contact with body fluids.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. Infected people develop a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.
Anyone who has symptoms of monkeypox should contact their healthcare provider immediately.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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