Marin Reports 2 Suspected Monkeypox Cases: Report

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Marin reported two probable monkeypox cases Thursday, but the cases have not been confirmed by the CDC, The Marin Independent Journal reports.

“We’re still waiting for the results on a sample we sent more than a week ago,” Marin County Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis told the news outlet.

As of Wednesday there have been 866 confirmed cases in the nation, of which 148 were in California according to the CDC, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

California Department of Public Health epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan on Tuesday confirmed Bay Area wastewater surveillance systems are the nation’s first in which monkeypox has been detected, The Chronicle reports.

“This implies there’s a lot more disease there than we realize,” Pan said, according to the report.

Public health officials stress that the virus is only spread through skin-to-skin contact or bodily fluids via kissing, breathing at close range, sexual activity and sharing bedding or clothing. The virus is also not spread through airborne transmission like COVID-19 or the flu.

Health experts have also noted that the risk of monkeypox to the general population remains low.

Read more in The Marin Independent Journal

— Patch staffer Kat Schuster contributed to this report.