First Monkeypox case in Riverside County confirmed; patient treated in Coachella Valley

Health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed the first Monkeypox case in Riverside County, a county health official shared today. News Channel 3 had previously confirmed this patient was treated in the Coachella Valley at an Eisenhower Health facility.

CDC has confirmed the first Monkeypox case in Riverside County is an eastern county resident. The case was listed as "probable" and tissue sample send to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Link to original news release https://t.co/0t832WeYrM

— Jose Arballo (@rivcohealthpio) July 6, 2022

Eisenhower Health confirmed the first probable case of monkeypox in Riverside County was treated in the Coachella Valley.

Lee Rice, Eisenhower Health spokesperson, said the patient was treated at an Eisenhower facility.

Check Out Our Full Interview with Riverside County's Chief of Disease Control

The county's first probable case of monkeypox was announced by health officials two weeks ago. County officials said the patient was a man, under the age of 60, located in eastern Riverside County. That patient is the one that was confirmed positive for monkeypox.

Spokesperson for Riverside County's Health Department,Jose Arballo, said 14 residents were screened for monkeypox. Five of those matched enough criteria of the virus and were tested for it. However, only one positive patient was confirmed. The county says no other cases are being tested at this time. 

"Not every rash is monkey box, and not every rash would be where he would be, it would necessitate testing, you have to take the entire picture into consideration," said Arballo.

Talk to your doctor if:

• You believe you were exposed to Monkeypox
  OR
• You develop symptoms, such as fever, headache muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills exhaustion or a rash that looks like pimples or blisters

If you have lesions, health officials said not to attend social events where you might spread the disease. If you suspect you have monkeypox, contact your physician or an urgent care facility.

The county has a limited amount of monkeypox vaccines. It can only give the vaccine for the recommended use after exposure. The county is expecting a bigger supply but it doesn't know when it'll arrive. For now, county officials are working on creating a monkeypox dashboard similar to their COVID one that would be updated regularly.

Residents are encouraged to review the CDC’s tips for preventing exposure to monkeypox. 

Testing for monkeypox will be coordinated with Riverside County Public Health, which provides the testing kit.

From Riverside County Health:

You can see a full list of symptoms at: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html

To learn more, or if you believe you have been exposed to Monkeypox, call (951) 358-5107.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.