The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with Massachusetts health officials on an investigation into a case of monkeypox, the agency said in a statement on Monday. Wednesday.
The monkeypox case was confirmed in a man in Massachusetts who had recently traveled to Canada, state health officials announced earlier in the day.
Canadian health officials say no cases of monkeypox have been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Massachusetts public health authorities are doing contact tracing to find people the man may have been in contact with while infected, though “the case poses no risk to the public and the individual is hospitalized and in good condition,” it said. the Massachusetts Department of Health in a statement. statement.
Testing of the individual was first completed at the state’s public health laboratory on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the CDC confirmed the case through its own tests.
Multiple clusters reported around the world
The CDC says it’s also tracking multiple clusters of monkeypox that have been reported in the last two weeks in several countries that don’t normally report this type of disease, including Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
“It is not clear how the people in these groups were exposed to monkeypox, but the cases include people who identify themselves as men who have sex with men,” the agency said in a news release.
“Many of these global reports of monkeypox cases occur within sexual networks. However, health care providers should be vigilant for any rash that has typical features of monkeypox. We are asking the public to communicate with your health care provider if you have a new rash and they are concerned about monkeypox,” Dr. Inger Damon, director of the CDC’s Division of Pathology and High Consequence Pathogens, said in the news release.
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, the CDC says. Symptoms can include a flu-like illness, swollen lymph nodes, 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 is not easily spread from person to person. However, the monkeypox virus can be spread through contact with bodily 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, usually in a closed setting, according to the CDC.
The Massachusetts case is the first reported this year. The first known case of travel-associated monkeypox in the US involved a man traveling from Nigeria to Texas in July 2021. A second case was identified in the US later that year, also involving to a traveler from Nigeria.
Symptoms that may indicate possible hepatitis in children.