COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's top health agency is reporting two additional cases of monkeypox in the state just a week after confirming the first two.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control reported the new cases on Thursday and said they were in the Midlands and Upstate.
The first two were also found in separate regions - one in the Lowcountry and the other in the Midlands. DHEC has not said whether the cases were the result of travel or community spread citing individual privacy.
If following the procedures in place for the first two cases, the additional cases will be monitored until there the people are no longer infectious in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease, which transfers from one person to the next through close skin-to-skin contact but it otherwise not easily transmitted.
Although rare, the monkeypox virus is potentially serious. It typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a rash on the face and body that can last two to four weeks.
At this time, DHEC considers the risk to the general population to be low but encourages the public to inform themselves through reliable sources, including the DHEC website and the CDC website.
Anyone who suspects they have been exposed to someone with monkeypox or who has a new unexplained rash should seek medical attention through their doctor, an urgent care center, or the local health department.