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Monkeypox spreads further in Washington; expert says more cases will emerge this summer

caption: This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. The U.S. government is building up its supply of monkeypox vaccine to contend with escalating cases identified in a surprising international outbreak in 2022.
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This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. The U.S. government is building up its supply of monkeypox vaccine to contend with escalating cases identified in a surprising international outbreak in 2022.
Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP

Snohomish County is the latest region in Washington state to detect a case of monkeypox.

That brings the statewide total of monkeypox cases to 19. Nationwide, there are more than 750 cases. Monkeypox first emerged, locally, in King County and was soon detected in Pierce County.

RELATED: Monkeypox vaccines en route to Washington

The Snohomish Health District says that the new case is an adult male and that health officials are getting in touch with recent close contacts.

The University of Washington Medicine Virology Lab is one of the few sites in the country that tests for this infection.

"Our turnaround time probably is about one to two days right now, depending on when you send it," said Alex Greninger, assistant director of the lab.

Greninger says the virus is going to be around through the summer and adds that now is a good time to be cautious.

"It’s not going to be just like Covid, obviously, but we're going to see more cases than people normally would expect, and certainly more than we've ever seen before," he said. "I mean, that's already true right now."

Monkeypox is spread through close contact with the skin of an infected person. It causes flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes and a rash (bumps).

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