A Dallas, Texas, resident who recently
returned from Nigeria has tested positive for monkeypox, a rare virus similar
to smallpox, local officials said Friday. Though this is the first confirmed
case of the virus in the U.S. since 2003, officials said the public should not
be concerned.
"While rare, this case is not a reason
for alarm and we do not expect any threat to the general public," Dallas
County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement from Dallas County's health
department. Because passengers were wearing masks on the flight and in the
airport, the health department said, "It's believed the risk of spread of
monkeypox via respiratory droplets to others on the planes and in the airports
is low."
Monkeypox, which is in the same family of
viruses as smallpox, is a rare but potentially deadly viral infection that
begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses to a rash on the face and body,
according to the CDC. It tends to last two to four weeks. People who do not
have symptoms are not capable of transmitting the virus, the health department
said.
Laboratory testing confirmed the patient is
infected with a strain of the virus that is mainly seen in West Africa, which
includes Nigeria. Monkeypox infections of that strain are fatal in about 1 in
100 people, affecting those with weakened immune systems more strongly,
according to the CDC.
Prior to this case, there have been six
other cases of monkeypox in travelers returning from Nigeria. The CDC said this
case is not believed to be related to any of the prior cases.
This is the first reported case of
monkeypox in Dallas County, according to the health department's statement. The
person is currently in isolation at a hospital in Dallas and is in stable
condition. The CDC said it is working with local health officials to contact
airline passengers and others who were in contact with the infected traveller
during their flights from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta on July 8, and Atlanta to
Dallas on July 9.
The last time monkeypox was seen in the
U.S. was in 2003. Nearly 50 people fell ill after imported African rodents
infected prarie dogs, which subsequently infected humans, the CDC said. This
launched a government search across 15 states for infected prairie dogs.
Despite past incidences of the virus,
Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Phillip Huang said there's
no reason to worry. "We have determined that there is very little risk to
the general public," he said in the health department's statement.
"This is another demonstration of the importance of maintaining a strong
public health infrastructure, as we are only a plane ride away from any global
infectious disease."
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