Monkeypox, a new virus that has been sweeping the nation, has arrived in Summit County. 

On Thursday, July 28, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment alerted Summit County Public Health of one confirmed case of monkeypox in the area.

The risk of infection, however, is low, according to national and state health officials. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there are 60 cases of monkeypox in Colorado as of July 29 at 10 a.m.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists symptoms as: fever, headache, muscle aches, backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough and a body rash that goes through several stages that may look like pimples or blisters with pain or itchiness.

“Monkeypox can spread from person to person when someone who has monkeypox has close contact with someone else. Close contact can mean physical contact with a sick person’s sores, bumps or lesions, including sex,” the Colorado Department of Public Health’s website states. “Monkeypox can also spread through touching the bed linens or clothing of someone who is sick. Monkeypox can also live on other surfaces for some time.”

State health officials say the current strain spreading across Colorado is rarely fatal since it’s fatality rate is less than 1%. However, officials warn that the disease is still serious if people become infected. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warns that symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure, with the illness lasting between two to four weeks. If flu-like symptoms are present, it’s predicted that a rash will develop one to four days later. 

It is contagious “from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s monkeypox webpage. 

For more information about monkeypox, visit CDC.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/.