CDC investigates Dallas monkey pox case in Nigerian traveler

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Monkeypox is a relative of smallpox, but it is less transmissible and less fatal. Smallpox was eradicated in 1979 thanks to a worldwide vaccination campaign.

The CDC and health officials in Dallas said that although the traveler flew while infected, they don’t think it’s likely someone else on the flight was infected. They just check in case, though.

“The individual is a resident of the city of Dallas who traveled from Nigeria to Dallas, arriving at Love Field Airport on July 9, 2021. The person is hospitalized in Dallas and is in stable condition,” said the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services. in a report.

“We worked closely with the CDC and DSHS (the Texas State Department of Health Services) and conducted interviews with the patient and close contacts who were exposed,” said the director of DCHHS, Dr Philip Huang. “We have determined that there is very little risk to the general public.”

The CDC said it was working to contact airline passengers and others who may have been in contact with the patient on two flights: Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta on July 8, with an arrival July 9; and Atlanta in Dallas on July 9.

Third case of monkey pox reported in UK, in healthcare worker

“Travelers on these flights were required to wear masks as well as at US airports due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the risk of spreading monkey pox via respiratory droplets to other people on airplanes and at airports is believed to be low. Working with airlines, states and local health partners, the CDC is assessing potential risks for those who may have had close contact with the traveler on the plane and specific settings, ”the CDC said.

Rodents, including animals kept as pets, can carry monkey pox and transmit it to humans. In 2003, 47 people in the United States were infected with the virus. The outbreak was attributed to a shipment of small mammals from Ghana which were sold as pets.

There was a smaller outbreak in Britain in 2018.

“Monkey pox begins with fever, headache, muscle pain and exhaustion. The main difference between the symptoms of smallpox and monkey pox is that monkey pox causes the lymph nodes to swell. lymphatics, unlike smallpox, ”the CDC said. Like smallpox, monkey pox causes skin blisters that eventually scab over.

“The disease typically lasts 2 to 4 weeks. In Africa, monkey pox has been shown to kill 1 in 10 people who contract the disease,” the CDC said.

The tension involved in this week’s case is much less fatal, possibly killing 1 in 100 people, the CDC said. The smallpox vaccine can protect people against monkey pox, but the global vaccination campaign ended when the virus was eradicated, so access to the vaccine is limited.

A drug called cidofovir can treat monkey pox infection, according to the CDC.

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