A case of monkeypox, a uncommon however doubtlessly critical viral sickness, was recognized in a Maryland resident who had just lately returned from Nigeria, making it the second case in the USA this 12 months, well being officers stated. They stated the chance that the virus would unfold was low.
The particular person was in isolation with gentle signs however was not hospitalized, the Maryland Division of Well being stated in an announcement on Tuesday. The company didn’t determine the traveler.
That is the second confirmed case of monkeypox in the USA throughout the previous few months. The primary an infection was found in July in a Texas resident who had additionally returned from Nigeria, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention stated on the time.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the C.D.C. stated it was working with an unidentified airline and with well being officers to achieve anybody who might have been involved with the Maryland traveler. Nonetheless, the company stated, fellow passengers had a low likelihood of getting contracted the virus by way of respiratory droplets as a result of they had been required to put on masks to forestall the unfold of the coronavirus.
“No particular precautions are beneficial presently for most of the people,” the Maryland well being authorities stated within the assertion, including that they’d recognized and are following up with individuals who might have been involved with the traveler.
Monkeypox — so named as a result of it was first recognized in laboratory monkeys — happens principally in Central and Western Africa, though it brought about an outbreak in the USA in 2003 after it unfold from imported African rodents to pet prairie canines, the C.D.C. said.
During that outbreak, 47 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox were identified in six states, the C.D.C. said. Those who were infected reported symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches and rash. No deaths were reported.
Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, but it causes milder symptoms, according to the C.D.C. The illness typically begins with flulike symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes and develops into a widespread rash on the face and body. Most infections last two to four weeks.
In this case, laboratory testing at the C.D.C. showed that the patient had been infected with a strain of monkeypox most commonly seen in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. Infections with that strain are fatal in about 1 in 100 people, the C.D.C. said, although rates may be higher in people with weakened immune systems.
The C.D.C. said it had been supporting Nigeria’s response to monkeypox since 2017, when the disease re-emerged in that country after a period of more than 40 years with no reported cases. Since that time, 218 cases have been identified in Nigeria and eight have been reported in international travelers from the country, including the ones in Texas and Maryland.
There are no specific treatments available for monkeypox infections, according to the C.D.C., although one vaccine has been licensed in the United States to prevent monkeypox and smallpox.
Monkeypox is commonly found in animals such as rats, mice and rabbits, but it can infect people who are bitten or scratched by an animal; who prepare wild game; or who come in contact with an infected animal or, possibly, animal products, the C.D.C. said.
The virus can spread between people through bodily fluids, sores or items contaminated with bodily fluids, but it is generally transmitted through large respiratory droplets that do not travel more than a few feet. As such, prolonged face-to-face contact is generally necessary for the virus to spread, the C.D.C. said.
