This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Portuguese health authorities confirmed five cases of monkeypox in young men, marking an unusual outbreak in Europe of a disease typically limited to Africa. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP)

Los Angeles County public health officials were waiting for confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday, June 2, on what they believe is the region’s first case of monkeypox.

Why is that a big deal? Because monkeypox cases are usually more common in African nations.  Media reports detailing its appearance in the United States and other nations where is is not usually found have generated concern, confusion and myriad questions among Americans weary of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But health officials insist monkeypox is far less infectious that COVID-19, while offering tips on how to stop its spread.

Its appearance in several countries marks its first known community spread, according to CNBC, which reports that “before this outbreak, cases had been linked to travel to regions where the virus is endemic or imported animals carrying the virus.” On Thursday, June 2, officials reported more than 550 cases around the world.

Now that a case of monkeypox has been discovered in Southern California, here’s what you need to know, in a Q&A format.

Q: When did monkeypox arrive in Los Angeles?

A: The L.A. County Department of Public Health announced on June 2 that the first case of monkeypox appeared to have been detected in the county. The apparent positive testing result is pending a confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Q: How did this first case occur in Los Angeles?

A: An unidentified adult resident of Southern California who had traveled recently came in contact with “a known close contact to a case,” according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The patient has symptoms but is  doing well and not hospitalized, the county health department said.

Q: What is monkeypox?

A: Monkeypox is considered rare and it typically causes a mild infection — a rash that often begins on the face. It was discovered in 1958 in monkeys that were used for research. The first human case was discovered in 1970. It’s usually transmitted to humans from infected wild animals in Africa. It’s related to smallpox but far less lethal, according to UK’s NHS, the British version of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S.

Q: What are the symptoms?

A: According to the CDC, it starts with fever, headache, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion. Then infected lesions form on the skin that eventually turn into scabs and fall off.

The key difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox? Monkeypox causes the lymph nodes to swell, while smallpox does not.

The incubation period for monkeypox — the time from the infection to experiencing symptoms —  is usually 7−14 days. But it can range from 5−21 days.

Q: How worried should I be?

A: “The risk of monkeypox in the general population is very low,” California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a statement last week.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer echoed that sentiment on Thursday, noting that spread of the illness “requires close contact with an infected person or with belongings that the infected person has used.”

Ferrer added: “Am I worried we’re going to have a massive outbreak of monkeypox? No.”

But she said the county wants to ensure people are aware of the symptoms of the illness to ensure that any other cases can be quickly identified and isolated.

“We’ve seen no cases in Pasadena at this point,” Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian said. However, the city’s health department, which operates independently from Los Angeles County’s, is “heightening awareness” due to the evolving nature of the situation, Derderian said. “But we’re not in panic mode.”

Q: Why is it spreading now?

A: Top experts aren’t sure. The World Health Organization’s top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, doesn’t expect it to turn into another pandemic, but she says there are many unknowns — including why and how it’s spreading. One theory is that the ending of mass smallpox immunizations after smallpox was eradicated decades ago may have allowed the transmission of monkeypox in recent times.

Q: When did it arrive in the U.S.?

A: Bloomberg reported on May 19 that monkeypox was confirmed in a man in Massachusetts, with two new cases appeared in the UK, bringing the total number in England to nine at that time. The infected Massachusetts man had been traveling in Canada. He was treated in a hospital, according to the CDC. Local health officials said he poses no risk to the public.

Q: How can I prevent monkeypox?

A: According to the WHO monkeypox expert Lewis, “We are concerned that individuals may acquire this infection through high-risk exposure if they don’t have the information they need to protect themselves.”

Experts say monkeypox doesn’t spread easily through the air in droplets, as does COVID-19. Instead, monkepox  often requires direct physical contact with an infected person, or with their lesion-contaminated clothes or bedding.

Q: Is monkeypox an STD?

A: According to experts cited by the BBC, anyone can be infected and it is mostly spread through physical “skin-to-skin contact, which is why it can be spread to sexual partners.”

Doctors are encouraging gay and bisexual men to be particularly alert to symptoms, but Mateo Prochazka, an epidemiologist from the UK Health Security Agency, said: “The infections are not about sexuality. We are concerned about monkeypox in general, as a public threat.”

Other experts say it may be accidental that the disease appeared first in gay and bisexual men, and warn that this disease could spread into other groups.

Q: Are people dying from monkeypox?

A: According to the CDC, monkeypox has caused death in as many as 1 in 10 persons in Africa who contract the disease. However, Healthline.com notes that the mortality rate globally is between 1 to 10 percent, “and is particularly low with the current strain that has most recently appeared on the scene.”

Q: Is there medicine to protect people from monkeypox?

A: Healthline.com reports that smallpox vaccines are effective in preventing monkeypox, or by treating the disease in a medical setting “very quickly after exposure. Even though the world eradicated smallpox in 1980, many countries do keep stocks of the vaccine in the case of emergencies.”

Q: Can I do anything myself, to fend off monkeypox?

A: Yes, don’t come into contact with anyone who has lesions. According to the CDC, “human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus occurs by direct contact with lesion material or from exposure to respiratory secretions. Reports of human-to-human transmission describe close contact with an infectious person.”

But getting monkeypox from coughs or sneezes are not common and are not the greatest concern. WHO’s leading expert, Rosamund Lewis, says lesions are the key problem:  “You may have these lesions for two to four weeks (and) they may not be visible to others, but you may still be infectious,” she said.

Q: Has the U.S. recorded a monkeypox outbreak before?

A: Yes, the last outbreak of monkeypox was in 2003, when 47 confirmed and probable cases were reported in six states.

Q: What are Los Angeles authorities doing to make sure monkeypox doesn’t get out of control here?

A: County public health officials are “continuing to investigate and conduct contact tracing and post-exposure prevention for close contacts,” according to the health department. County officials said that the risk of monkeypox in the general population here remains very low.

Staff writer Brennon Dixson, The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report