The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that a Maryland resident who just flew back to the nation from Nigeria tested positive for monkeypox. Since a 2003 outbreak that affected 43 people, there have been two confirmed cases of the rare disease in the United States.
Mild symptoms are being experienced by the afflicted person. According to a news statement from the Maryland Department of Health, they are kept in isolation there rather than being hospitalized. According to the CDC, laboratory tests showed the case is the same virus strain that has been reemerging in Nigeria since 2017. According to the state’s health department, the Nigerian strain is typically less severe.
“Public health authorities have identified and continue to follow up with those who may have been in contact with the diagnosed individual,” deputy secretary for public health at Maryland’s Department of Health Dr. Jinlene Chan said in a statement. “Our response in close coordination with CDC officials demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure.”
The CDC stated that although the danger is low because everyone on the plane with the infected person was forced to wear a mask, the disease can spread by respiratory droplets. No extra safety measures are advised for the general population, according to the state health agency.
According to the CDC, monkeypox, which belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, is a highly uncommon but potentially fatal viral infection that starts with flu-like symptoms before progressing to a body rash. Usually, the illness lasts two to four weeks. Additionally, it can be transmitted by infected objects like bed sheets or bodily fluids or skin sores. People who do not exhibit symptoms are unable to spread the infection.
The CDC warns U.S. healthcare professionals to watch out for lesions that resemble those caused by the poxvirus, especially in travelers coming back from central or western Africa. The CDC advised practitioners to contact the relevant health authorities as soon as they suspect monkeypox cases.
According to the CDC, human monkeypox infections outside of Africa had only been reported six times prior to this case.
The first verified case of monkeypox in the nation since an outbreak nearly 20 years ago occurred in July when a Dallas, Texas, resident who had just returned from Nigeria tested positive. Following the diagnosis, more than 200 others who may have come into touch with the sick person were instructed to keep an eye on their health for 21 days. The surveillance period came to a conclusion, and no new instances were found, according to the CDC.
The CDC reported that 47 people became ill in 2003 as a result of imported African rodents infecting prairie dogs with monkeypox, which then spread to people. It was the first time that humans outside of Africa had contracted the disease. Government officials searched 15 states for infected prairie dogs as a result of the outbreak. As a result, it was forbidden to bring African rodents into the United States.