What is monkeypox? Case confirmed in person returning to US from abroad
Federal health officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox in the U.S. after a traveler returned to the country from Nigeria.
The infected person is isolating in Maryland as of Wednesday, Nov. 17, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC, together with health officials in Nigeria, the airline the infected person traveled with, and Washington, D.C. health leaders, is contacting airline passengers and others who may have been in contact with the virus.
The likelihood others on the same plane as the infected traveler contracted the virus are low, the agency said, because all passengers were required to wear a face mask for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“CDC is assessing potential risks to those who may have had close contact with the traveler on the plane and after their arrival in the United States,” the agency said in the statement.
What are monkeypox symptoms?
Monkeypox is a “rare but potentially serious” virus that causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and fatigue, as well as swelling of the lymph nodes and a widespread face and body rash. Infections typically last between two to four weeks, and can kill as many as 10% of those who contract the illness.
It typically takes about one to two weeks after infection until symptoms appear, but it can take anywhere between five and 21 days. Within one to three days of symptom onset, people tend to develop a rash that first appears on their face and later spreads to their body, which can look like scabs, bumps and pus-filled blisters.
There is ”no proven, safe treatment” for monkeypox infection, according to the CDC.
The first human monkeypox infection was confirmed in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has since spread to several other African countries; the virus reemerged in Nigeria in 2017 after more than 40 years of no reported cases there, the CDC said.
Since then, 218 cases have been confirmed in Nigeria and eight cases among travelers from the country, including one in Texas reported in July and the current infection.
How do you contract monkeypox?
You can contract monkeypox if you come into contact with an infected animal, person or material contaminated with the virus, according to the CDC.
The virus could infect you via an open cut on your skin, your respiratory tract or other mucous membranes such as your eyes, nose or mouth.
Human-to-human monkeypox spread happens most often by inhaling large respiratory droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze, similar to transmission of the novel coronavirus, common cold and flu. You can also get the virus by coming into direct contact with another person’s contaminated body fluids.
Infected animals can give you monkeypox, too, by biting or scratching you. Eating infected animal meat could also make you sick.
The main source of the monkeypox virus remains unknown, the CDC says, but African rodents are suspected to have a role in spreading it. Monkeypox was first detected among colonies of monkeys used for research in 1958. This discovery gave the virus its name.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 12:56 PM with the headline "What is monkeypox? Case confirmed in person returning to US from abroad."
