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A unusual case of monkeypox was discovered in a man who just traveled to Canada on Wednesday, and health officials are investigating if it is linked to tiny outbreaks in Europe.
Monkeypox is mostly found in Africa, with a few instances in the United States and abroad associated to travel there. This month, the UK, Portugal, and Spain have all reported a limited number of confirmed or suspected cases.
As part of the probe, US health officials said they are in contact with officials in the United Kingdom and Canada. “At this moment,” Jennifer McQuiston of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “we don’t have any information that links the Massachusetts case to instances in the UK.”
“I do believe we are ready for the possibility of more instances,” she added, despite the fact that it is the sole US case the CDC is aware of.
The public is not at risk in the United States, and the Massachusetts resident is hospitalized but in good health, according to officials.
The man went to Canada to see friends at the end of April and returned in early May, according to McQuiston. According to the CDC, he took private transportation.
This is the first instance in the United States this year. Texas and Maryland have reported cases of Ebola in people who traveled to Nigeria last year.
Monkeypox usually starts with a flu-like illness and lymph node swelling, then a rash on the face and body. People in Africa have been infected by rats or small animals, and the disease does not spread quickly among humans.
However, European investigators claim the majority of cases have been in gay or bisexual men, and officials are looking into the possibility that some illnesses were transferred through close sex contact.
Monkeypox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox.
Although it is usually moderate, there are two primary strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe – with up to 10% mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate of less than 1%. The West African strain has been recorded in the UK the least.
