Nov. 23, 2021
Health authorities have confirmed {that a} Maryland resident who just lately returned from Nigeria has monkeypox, making it the second case of the uncommon however doubtlessly deadly viral sickness discovered within the United States this yr.
So far, the particular person has proven solely delicate signs, the Maryland Department of Health stated in a news release issued final week. The particular person is isolating and has not been hospitalized.
“Public health authorities have identified and continue to follow up with those who may have been in contact with the diagnosed individual,” Jinlene Chan, MD, division deputy secretary for public well being, stated within the launch. “Our response in close coordination with CDC officials demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure.”
People who got here involved with the contaminated particular person, together with different airline passengers, are being contacted, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a statement. Because the air vacationers wore face masks, there’s a low chance the virus unfold by means of respiratory droplets, the CDC stated.
In July, monkeypox was found in Texas in a traveler who’d come from Nigeria. That particular person was hospitalized, the CDC said in July. His present situation shouldn’t be identified. People who got here involved him have been traced.
Monkeypox begins with flu-like signs and progresses to a widespread rash on the face and physique, the CDC says. The illness is usually delicate and causes much less extreme sickness than smallpox however may be deadly in about 10% of instances.
Monkeypox was first found in 1958 when outbreaks occurred in colonies of monkeys being held for analysis in Africa, in accordance to the CDC. It re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017 after greater than 40 years with no reported instances.
Since 2017, 218 instances of monkeypox have been confirmed in Nigeria, the CDC stated. Eight instances have been detected in worldwide vacationers from Nigeria, together with the Texas and Maryland instances, the CDC stated.
