NEW HAMPSHIRE (WHDH) — Monkeypox has now likely spread to New Hampshire, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services announced.
The patient is a Rockingham County resident, but no other information about them will be released to protect their privacy. The Centers for Disease Control is still working to confirm the case, as well as identify others who may have been exposed.
“The first probable case of monkeypox in New Hampshire has been identified. While this is a concerning development, the risk to the general public is very low,” said Dr. Jonathan Ballard, DHHS chief medical officer. “We are investigating this situation to determine whether additional people may have been exposed.”
Transmission of the disease requires close contact with a symptomatic person, and brief interactions do not appear to be high risk, though transmission usually involves close physical or intimate contact. After the first case was found in Massachusetts, the disease has since spread to 26 states.
Initial symptoms include a fever, headache, exhaustion, muscle aches, sore throat, cough and swollen lymph nodes. After that, a skin rash or skin spots appear that change over time. People with monkeypox are contagious until all lesions have scabbed over and fallen off, usually 2 to 4 weeks.
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