Riverside County reports 1st pediatric case of monkeypox

Health officials in Riverside County on Friday announced the county’s first confirmed pediatric case of monkeypox.

Officials said the child is from the western side of the county and is under 10 years old. They added the young patient did not require hospitalization and is recovering at home.

Earlier this week, officials from the Riverside University Health System-Public Health were notified about the preliminary positive test results and were working to determine the source of the child's infection.

"This case reminds everyone that MPX can impact anyone, regarding of age, gender or sexual orientation," said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County.

RELATED: LA County confirms first monkeypox death

Riverside County has reported 256 probable monkeypox cases, with the majority of them reported from the Coachella Valley.

RELATED: LA County monkeypox: First case in nation linked to workplace exposure

Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. The main difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy) while smallpox does not. The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days.

City News Service contributed to this report.