Monkeypox is Back and It's Shown up in Dallas, Texas. How Contagious is the Disease?

MonkeypoxWHO

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Texas Dept of State Health Services have just confirmed a case of human monkeypox in a U.S. resident who recently traveled from Nigeria to the U.S. The patient is currently hospitalized in Dallas and the CDC is contacting airline passengers from 2 flights connected to the patient’s return.

The patient, a resident of Texas, had flown to Atlanta from Nigeria on July 8, with a final destination of Dallas Love Field Airport on July 9, The infected individual has been hospitalized in isolation in Dallas. He is in stable condition, according to health officials with the Dallas County Health and Human Services.

What exactly is Monkeypox? You’ll be forgiven for asking as most of us aren't familiar with this rare disease. It was last reported on American soil in 2003, almost two decades ago and what most will be wondering is, what risk does it pose to Dallas residents?

According to the CDC, Monkeypox is a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a widespread rash on the face and body. Most infections last 2–4 weeks. 

Monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes a milder infection and is called by this name as it was first observed in laboratory monkeys.

It takes between 7 to 14 days after being exposed to the monkeypox virus to develop symptoms, according to the CDC. The symptoms begin like many other viruses: fatigue, fever, headache, muscle aches. Within a week of symptom beginning, the infected person develops a bumpy, raised rash that often spreads to the entire body. 

The person is considered contagious until those raised bumps have scabbed over and fallen off, very similar to chickenpox, and most patients recover within a month. The virus can be fatal in rare instances. but no one died in the 2003 outbreak in the U.S.

Prairie DogsWWF

The origin of the 2003 outbreak was traced to domesticated prairie dogs in the Midwest that harbored the virus and had infected their human owners.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issued a press release containing the following statement;

“This case is not a reason for alarm and we do not expect any threat to the general public.”

Monkeypox can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets or other bodily fluids, so the passengers sharing the flight with the infected person may very well have avoided it as they were wearing masks. It is however too early to tell if other individuals may have contracted the disease, as officials are still engaged in contacting passengers on the two flights.

This new outbreak once again highlights the importance international flights play in spreading infectious diseases across the globe. In today's world, we are always only a single passenger away from the next pandemic, and monitoring incoming passengers is critical.

The CDC results from testing of the patient, show the individual is infected with a strain of monkeypox most commonly seen in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria. 

Infections with this strain of monkeypox are fatal in about 1 in 100 people. However, rates can be higher in people who have weakened immune systems.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow

This is original content from NewsBreak’s Creator Program. Join today to publish and share your own content.