Long Beach confirms presumptive monkeypox case in child

Long Beach health officials on Tuesday confirmed a probable monkeypox case in a child.

The child tested positive for the virus, but additional testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will confirm whether it is in fact monkeypox, officials explained.

The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services is conducting contact tracing and will offer the vaccine to people who may have been exposed.

Officials did not release any additional information about the case, but the child was symptomatic and has since recovered.

As of July 28, there has only been one case of pediatric monkeypox in California, according to the state.

“This is a reminder that everyone, regardless of age or sexual orientation, can get monkeypox if they come into contact with the virus,” health officials said.

As of Tuesday, there are 20 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox in Long Beach. No one in the city has had to be hospitalized because of the virus, officials said.

The pediatric case was reported just one day after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in California due to monkeypox, and the same day that L.A. County issued a local emergency proclamation in response to the virus.

Health officials remind residents that monkeypox can spread through close or prolonged skin-to-skin or face-to-face contact, including hugging, kissing, cuddling, holding and feeding.

The virus can also also spread through contaminated materials like cups, bedding, clothing, towels and utensils.

“With children, people are advised to minimize the number of caregivers and limit interaction between siblings, including sharing toys, clothing, linens and bedding,” health officials said. “It is also important for the infected person to limit interactions with pets in the home.”

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Exhaustion
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus

For more details about monkeypox cases and vaccine information in California, click here.