U.S health officials investigating monkeypox case
The
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collaborating with
Massachusetts health officials on an investigation into a case of monkeypox, the agency said Wednesday in a statement.
The
case of monkeypox was confirmed in a man in Massachusetts who had recently traveled
to Canada, state health officials announced earlier in the day.
The
patient is hospitalized in stable condition at Massachusetts General Hospital,
Dr. Paul Biddinger, the chief preparedness and continuity officer at Mass
General Brigham, said during a news briefing.
The
patient has been in an airborne infection isolation room since last Thursday.
"This
patient, fortunately, is doing quite well now, although did have, have symptoms
that require the hospitalization," Dr. Erica Shenoy said.
Biddinger
said they are not sure how the patient was infected, but emphasized "that
historically, this has been a very rare disease, with very rare transmission
around the world. What we have seen in the United Kingdom, in Spain and in
Europe, has been novel and that gives us cause for concern, but, I think
appropriately, people should not be afraid of monkeypox right now."
He
said the current patient is of "no public health risk," adding people
should "be aware of symptoms but not be afraid."
Shenoy,
medical director for the Region 1 Emerging and Special Pathogens Treatment
Center, said the patient has the West African strain of monkeypox, which is
known to be less severe.
Health
officials are conducting contact tracing for the patient, Shenoy added.
The
individual's testing was first completed in the state's public health
laboratory Tuesday, and on Wednesday the CDC confirmed the case through its own
testing.
Canadian
health officials said no cases of monkeypox have been reported to the Public
Health Agency of Canada.
Multiple
clusters reported across the globe
The
CDC says it is also tracking multiple clusters of monkeypox that have been
reported within the past two weeks in several countries that don't normally
report monkeypox, including Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
"It's
not clear how people in those clusters were exposed to monkeypox but cases
include individuals who self-identify as men who have sex with men," the
agency said in a press release.
"Many
of these global reports of monkeypox cases are occurring within sexual
networks. However, healthcare providers should be alert to any rash that has
features typical of monkeypox. We're asking the public to contact their
healthcare provider if they have a new rash and are concerned about
monkeypox," Dr. Inger Damon, Director of CDC's Division of
High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, said in the press release.
The
CDC says people who may have symptoms of monkeypox, and those who have close
contact with them, should contact their doctor if they have any unusual rashes
or lesions. Symptoms may include a flu-like illness, lymph-node swelling and a
rash on the face and body.
Monkeypox
is a rare but dangerous infection similar to the now eradicated smallpox virus.
It is usually contracted from a rodent or small mammal, and it does not easily
spread from one person to another. However, the monkeypox virus can spread
through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or items such as clothing
and bedding that have been contaminated with the virus. It can also spread from
person to person through respiratory droplets, typically in a close setting,
according to the CDC.
The Massachusetts case is the first case reported this year.
The first known travel-associated monkeypox case in the US involved a man
traveling from Nigeria to Texas in July 2021. A second US case was identified
later that year, also involving a traveler from Nigeria.
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