Dallas resident returns from Nigeria with monkey pox case

DALLAS – A Dallas resident was hospitalized in stable condition in isolation after returning from Nigeria with the first-ever case of monkey pox in Texas, health officials revealed on Friday.

In a statement, federal and state health officials said the traveler arrived at Dallas Love Field on July 9 from Atlanta after an overnight flight from Nigeria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk to others on flights and at the airport is low, especially in light of the masking policies related to COVID-19. However, efforts are underway to contact his fellow travelers.

Monkey pox is a rare viral disease similar to smallpox of the smallpox family, but milder. It can be transmitted by respiratory droplets, by contact with bodily fluids, or by contact with an infected animal or animal products.

The first human case of monkey pox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States experienced a major human epidemic in 2003 after the virus spread from imported African rodents to prairie dogs. However, it is believed to be the first infection with the Monkeypox virus in a resident of Texas, according to Dallas County health officials.

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Symptoms of monkey pox typically begin with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, then a widespread rash on the face and body, according to the CDC. Most infections last 2 to 4 weeks. Infections with this strain of monkey pox are fatal in about 1 in 100 people, but the death rate may be higher in people with weakened immune systems.