The United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention revealed on Friday that a rare case of human monkeypox was detected in Texas, making it the first case of the virus seen in the state.
CDC via a statement said that the viral illness was found in a U.S. resident who recently travelled from Nigeria to the US and is currently hospitalised in Dallas.
The health department revealed that the male patient is in a stable condition.
“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.
Laboratory testing at CDC showed the patient is infected with a strain of monkeypox most commonly seen in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. Infections with this strain of monkeypox are fatal in about 1 in 100 people. However, rates can be higher in people who have weakened immune systems.
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Other countries
Other than Nigeria, outbreaks have also been reported in Central and West African countries since 1970, with a large outbreak in people in the US in 2003, according to the CDC.
Monkeypox
Monkeypox, which belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, is a rare but potentially serious viral illness.
It typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes and gradually develops to widespread rashes on the face and body. Most infections last 2-4 weeks. Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes a milder infection.
