Santa Clara County’s first probable case of monkeypox was detected two days ago. Although the nature of the exposure is still under investigation, County health officials have determined that the infected individual had recently traveled internationally. 

Santa Clara County is currently working with the State of California Department of Health as well as the Center for Disease Control(CDC) to release confirmation about the test results within the next few days. Information about the infected individual is currently not available to the public due to privacy concerns. 

Created by the monkeypox virus, the disease is zoonotic — it can be transferred from animals to humans and between humans. According to health officials, monkeypox can spread through skin-to-skin contact and through prolonged face-to-face interaction. 

The spread rates, however, are much lower than normal viruses. Those who are asymptomatic are unable to transmit the virus to others and close contact is necessary for the spread to occur at all. 

Symptoms of monkeypox can include fevers, intense headaches and muscle aches. These symptoms typically last from two to four weeks, and usually resolve without treatment. 

More information about monkeypox can be found on the Santa Clara County Public Health website.