Presumptive Positive Child Monkeypox Case Ruled False Positive

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UPDATE: The presumptive positive child case of monkeypox was ruled a false positive, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidaldo. WFAA reported false positives happen only 4% of the time.

"We hadn't had a false positive. This is the first one we've had with monkeypox with all the samples we've sent to the CDC," Hidalgo said.

Original story continues below:

Texas might have its first child case of monkeypox.

The child, under the age of 2, has a presumptive positive case of monkeypox. It will take about a week to confirm, but officials are expecting tests will come back positive, according to FOX 4.

"I say presumptive positive because all of our cases are presumptive positives until we get complete confirmation from the CDC. To put into context, so far, we have not yet had a presumptive positive not be a confirmed monkeypox case. At some point, that will happen but so far, it hasn't happened," Harris County Judge Hidalgo told the news outlet.

This would mark the eighth child case of monkeypox in the U.S.

It's still unclear how the child from Harris County caught the virus. Health officials are concerned because no immediate family members appear to be infected. The child also has not been to a school or daycare center. Contact tracing is being conducted to find answers.

The child only has a residual rash, but is otherwise asymptomatic. A full recovery is expected.

"This case in Harris County is one of only a handful of cases in young children nationwide. And I understand that it's a very scary thing, and parents have concerns. What we need to make sure is to be vigilant and understand the risks, not assume the worst. But this reminds us that this is very real," Hidalgo said.

Here is some more information about monkeypox.


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