New Hampshire's first probable case of monkeypox has been identified in a patient from Rockingham County.
The case was detected at New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now conducting further testing to confirm the virus.
State health officials say they are trying to identify other people who may have been exposed to the rare virus but note the risk to the general public is "very low."
New Hampshire public health leaders have been preparing for a monkeypox case here after the virus was identified in Massachusetts last month. Public health officials have tried to make sure local health providers can recognize potential symptoms and report those to the state health department.
Monkeypox symptoms typically include fever, rash and swelling, and the illness lasts a few weeks. Symptoms are usually mild, but state officials say a more severe illness can, in rare cases, require hospitalization.
People who interact briefly with someone infected with the virus do not appear to be at high risk, according to state health officials. Transmission has usually involved close physical or intimate contact.
As of June 28, the CDC was reporting 306 total confirmed cases across the United States.
Top federal health officials announced a plan this week to distribute the monkeypox vaccine to those with confirmed and presumed monkeypox exposure.
