3 US cities announce first suspected monkeypox cases

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The first suspected cases of monkeypox have been detected in the US cities of Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, local health agencies announced Thursday.

All of the cases have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for verification.

The case in Los Angeles stems from a resident who recently traveled and had a known close contact to a case, said the city's public health department. The symptomatic patient is currently in isolation. The department is investigating and conducting contact tracing but maintained that the risk of exposure remains "very low."

The Chicago health agency said its presumptive monkeypox case was detected in a man who had recently returned from travel to Europe.

"The case remains isolated and at this time there is no indication there is a great risk of extensive local spread of the virus, as monkeypox does not spread as easily as the COVID-19 virus," it said in a statement.

Philadelphia did not disclose information on its patient "to protect the resident’s privacy," but said the individual is "currently working with the Health Department to identify any contacts that may have been exposed."

“The threat to Philadelphians from monkeypox is extremely low,” said official Dana Perella. “I believe that residents and visitors should feel safe to do all the fun things Philadelphia has to offer, with the proper precautions.”

The CDC previously confirmed 21 monkeypox cases in 11 states, including four each in California and New York. A "high number of cases" were found in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, according to the health authority.