Dallas resident returns from Nigeria with case of monkeypox

DALLAS (AP) – A Dallas resident was hospitalized in stable condition in isolation after returning from Nigeria with the very first case of monkey pox in Texas, health officials said Friday.

In a statement, federal and state health officials said the traveler arrived at Dallas Love Field on July 9 from Atlanta after an overnight flight from Nigeria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the risk to others on the flights and at the airport is low, especially given COVID-19-related masking guidelines. However, an attempt will be made to contact its fellow travelers.

Monkeypox is a rare virus-pox-like disease in the smallpox family, only milder. It can be transmitted through droplet infection, contact with body fluids, or contact with an infected animal or animal products.

The first human case of monkey pox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A major human outbreak occurred in the United States in 2003 after the virus spread to prairie dogs from imported African rodents. However, this is believed to be the first simianpox virus infection in a Texas resident, according to Dallas County health officials.

Monkey pox symptoms typically start with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, then a widespread rash on the face and body, according to the CDC. Most infections last 2-4 weeks. Infections with this strain of monkey pox are fatal in about 1 in 100 people, but the death rate can be higher in those with compromised immune systems.

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