Monkeypox Reported in Texas Urging CDC to Conduct Immediate Contact Tracing; What is This Viral Disease?

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that can be transmitted from one human to another. Experts have not yet figured out how it hides in nature, but they believe African rodents and small mammals play a significant role in spreading the monkeypox virus.

On July 15, Texas officials confirm that one individual coming from Nigeria tested positive for the virus and is now in the hospital to be treated. The person's condition is now stable, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are starting their investigation on the people that might come into contact with the infected person.

Rare Monkeypox Virus in Dallas, Texas

A Dallas city resident is hospitalized due to the rare viral disease known as the monkeypox virus, as confirmed by the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services officials on Friday.

The Washington Post reported that the infected individual was traveling from Nigeria to Dallas. The CDC is working with Delta Air Lines and both local and state health officials to contact all airline passengers that may have gotten in contact with the infected individual.

The man was on two flights: from Lagos, Nigeria to Atlanta on July 8, arriving on July 9; and from Atlanta to Dallas Love Field Airport on July 9. Public health officials announced that they have already identified the people who were in direct contact with the patient.

The CDC said that travelers of these flights and those in airports were wearing face masks due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, health officials believe that transmission of the monkeypox virus via respiratory droplets to other people on airplanes and airports is low.

Laboratory testing of the monkeypox virus that infected the person showed that the patient is infected with a strain of the virus that is most commonly detected in West Africa. The CDC said that infections from this strain are fatal in about 1 in 100 people, although rates could be higher in those who have weakened immune systems. As of now, there is no proven safe treatment for the infection caused by the monkeypox virus.

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What is Monkeypox Virus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a rare viral disease that occurs mostly in remote parts of Central and West Africa. The virus could live in animals, such as primates and rodents, but it can also jump to humans from animals.

The virus is spread through people mainly through exposure to respiratory droplets that enter the body through mucus membranes in the eyes, mouth, and nose, Live Science reported. Additionally, it can also be transmitted when a person has contact with infected lesions or indirectly by having contact with contaminated clothing or linens.

Monkeypox virus is related to smallpox, although it is a milder version of the illness. People infected with monkeypox typically develop flu-like symptoms and swelling of lymph nodes that progresses to rashes that could last for two to four weeks. Although there is no proven safe treatment for the monkeypox virus, the smallpox vaccine and medicines can be used, the CDC said.