Dallas man hospitalized with illness after returning from Nigeria



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A rare case of monkey pox has been confirmed in a Texas resident who recently traveled from Nigeria, health officials said on Friday.

The person was hospitalized and isolated in Dallas and is in stable condition, according to officials from Dallas County Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Monkey pox can be spread through fluids or through contact with an infected animal.
Monkey pox can be spread through fluids or through contact with an infected animal.
Star Tribune via Getty Images
Congolese doctors extract the blood of a teenager with monkey pox in a village in the Republic of Congo on August 29, 2017
Congolese doctors extract blood from a teenage boy with monkey pox in a village in the Republic of Congo on August 29, 2017
The Washington Post via Getty Images

The traveler arrived at Dallas Love Field on July 9 from Atlanta after a flight from Nigeria the day before.

It is the very first confirmed case of monkey pox in the Lone Star State, according to local officials.

A microscopic image of monkey pox.
A microscopic image of monkey pox.
Getty Images / Collection Mix: Subjects RF

The CDC said it was working with the airline and state and local health officials to reach anyone who may have been in contact with the patient.

The risk of the traveler transmitting the virus to others on flights and at the airport is low, largely due to the masking protocols practiced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the federal agency.

Monkey pox is a disease of the smallpox family, but it is milder than this one. The rare bug can be transmitted through respiratory droplets, body fluids, and contact with an infected animal or animal products. Most infections last two to four weeks.

The first case of monkey pox in humans was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States experienced a series of infections in the 1970s.

The Texas case comes after two cases of the disease were confirmed in June in the UK, where the virus was introduced in May by a man who worked in Nigeria.

In September 2018, the viral infection was diagnosed in three people in the north of England, all of whom had also traveled to the African country.

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