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Monkeypox arrives in Santa Barbara County

Ventura County its first diagnosed case of Monkeypox.
CDC
Santa Barbara County has its first diagnosed case of monkeypox.

Ventura County has two confirmed cases of the virus, and Santa Barbara County one.

The monkeypox virus arrived in Ventura County last month. Now, the first case has been confirmed in Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County Public Health officials say an adult has been diagnosed with monkeypox in the county. They aren’t releasing other details, other than to say the person contracted the virus outside of the county. They are doing contact tracing to see if anyone else might have been exposed.

The risk to the general public is considered low, because the main way it is spread is through direct contact with infectious rashes, scabs or body fluids.

It can also be transmitted through contaminated clothing or linens.

It can create a fever, rashes, and headaches, but usually disappears without treatment. In rare cases it can cause serious illness or death. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week to make resources to fight the virus more readily available.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.