A case of monkeypox was found in Texas

A rare but potentially serious viral disease case of monkeypox was confirmed in a Texas resident who recently returned from Nigeria, health officials said Friday. They said the virus is believed to have a low risk of spreading to others.

The person, who lives in Dallas, has been hospitalized in Dallas and is in stable condition, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will contact unidentified airlines and state and provinces to contact passengers who traveled with patients on one flight from Lagos to Atlanta and two flights from Atlanta to Atlanta on July 8. He said he was working with health authorities. Dallas on July 9th.

The CDC risks spreading monkeypox to others through respiratory droplets, as travelers on these flights and airports in Atlanta and Dallas need to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Said he thought he was limited.

“Although rare, we don’t expect this case to be a reason for caution and pose a threat to the general public,” said Clay Jenkins, a Dallas County judge. statement on Friday.

Dr. Philip Juan, director of the Dallas County Health and Welfare Department, said the county health authorities worked with state and federal agencies to interview patients and others who were in close contact with them.

“We have determined that there is little risk to the general public,” Dr. Huang said in a statement. “This is another example of the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure, because it is within easy flight distance from global infectious diseases.”

According to the CDC, monkeypox was so named because it was first identified in monkeys, but it occurs primarily in Central and West Africa, but from imported African rodents to pets. It occurred in the United States in 2003 after spreading to prairie dogs.

in the meantime OutbreakAccording to the CDC, 47 possible cases of monkeypox were identified in six states. Infected individuals reported symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgia, and rash. No deaths have been reported.

Monkeypox belongs to the same viral family as smallpox, but according to the CDC, it causes mild infections. The disease usually begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes and develops into a widespread rash on the face and body. Most infections last 2-4 weeks.

In this case, laboratory tests at the CDC showed that the patient was infected with the most common monkeypox strain in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. According to the CDC, infection with the strain of monkeypox is fatal in 1 in 100 people, but infection rates may be higher in people with a weakened immune system.

The CDC said it was supporting Nigeria’s response to monkeypox. In 2017, after nearly 40 years in Nigeria, no cases were reported and monkeypox recurred.

There is no specific treatment available for monkeypox infection, by CDC. However, one vaccine has been approved in the United States to prevent monkeypox and smallpox.

Monkey pox is common in animals such as rats, mice, and rabbits, but when bitten or scratched by animals, prepared for wild hunting animals, or in contact with infected animals or perhaps animal products, It can infect people. ..

The virus can spread among people through fluids, pain, or items contaminated with fluids, but is generally transmitted via large respiratory droplets that do not travel more than a few feet. As a result, the spread of the virus generally requires long, face-to-face contact, the CDC said.

Dr. Anne W. Limoan, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said monkeypox is not as contagious as coronavirus and influenza.

“Although the risk is low, this highlights the fact that infections everywhere are potentially infections everywhere,” said Dr. Limoan. “This should remind us that infectious diseases are regularly spilling from animals to humans, and that Covid is not the only infectious disease caused by zoonotic diseases.”