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Infant hospitalized as monkeypox continues to spread in King County

caption: This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Md.
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This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Md.
NIAID via AP

Officials with Public Health Seattle-King County say there are now 310 confirmed cases of monkeypox or MPV in King County, up from 48 cases in mid-July.

The virus was recently detected in an infant, who has been hospitalized and is in stable condition. Officials believe the baby got the virus from a family member, and not from a school, child-care facility, or other setting.

Public health officials note that the risk of monkeypox to the general public, and children, remains very low.

Also, three cis-gender females recently tested positive for MPV.

According to the latest statement from Public Health Seattle-King County:

"Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has MPV, including having direct contact with a rash or lesions of someone with MPV, is at risk of becoming infected. Locally, most of the cases have been reported in adult men who reported close intimate contact, including sexual contact, with other men."

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