US issues a public health alert regarding monkeypox ‘imported’ from Nigeria

A resident of the United States who recently returned from Nigeria has been diagnosed with a rare viral illness called human monkeypox.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Friday that the virus had been detected in Texas, making it the state’s first case.

According to the CDC, the man is currently hospitalized in Dallas and is in stable condition.

“While this is an unusual occurrence, it is not cause for alarm, and we do not anticipate any danger to the general public,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

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Apart from Nigeria, outbreaks have been reported in Central and West African countries since 1970, including a large outbreak in the United States in 2003, the CDC reports.

Monkeypox, which is a virus related to smallpox, is a rare but potentially serious viral infection.

It typically begins with flu-like symptoms and lymph node swelling and progresses to widespread facial and body rashes.

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It is contagious and can be spread from person to person via respiratory droplets.

According to the CDC, because travelers were wearing masks due to COVID-19, the risk of monkeypox spreading via respiratory droplets to other passengers on planes and at airports was low.

According to the CDC, the patient was infected with the strain that is most prevalent in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria.

The CDC stated that it was collaborating with local health officials to contact airline passengers and others who came into contact with the infected traveller during their flights from Lagos to Atlanta on July 8 and Atlanta to Dallas on July 9.

Monkeypox was last seen in the United States in 2003.

The CDC reported that nearly 50 people became ill after imported African rodents infected prairie dogs, which then infected humans.

This prompted the government to conduct a search of 15 states for infected prairie dogs.