On May 15, 2019, a health officer used a thermal head to detect monkeypox virus in passengers arriving at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia.
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U.S. health officials confirmed a case of monkeypox virus in Massachusetts late Wednesday. This is the first report nationwide this year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health authorities in Massachusetts are investigating cases identified in men who recently traveled to Canada.
The patient is hospitalized and in “good condition” and authorities are working to find people who may have come into contact with him when he was infected, Massachusetts Public Health Service. Said.. The ministry emphasized that the case does not pose a risk to the general public.
According to Massachusetts officials, monkeypox is a “rare but potentially serious viral disease” that begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes. The infection eventually progresses, causing a rash on the body and face, usually lasting 2-4 weeks.
According to the CDC, the virus reappeared in Nigeria 40 years later, with no confirmed cases. Since then, 450 monkeypox reports have been reported in Nigeria, and at least eight have been reported internationally, the Public Health Service said.
Last year, Texas and Maryland each reported cases of people who recently traveled to Nigeria, according to Massachusetts officials.
According to the CDC, more cases have occurred worldwide in the last two weeks, including Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. It is unclear how people in these countries were exposed to monkeypox, but officials pointed out that the cases included individuals who self-identified as men having sex with men.
The CDC has urged clinicians to look for patients with rash diseases that are consistent with monkeypox, regardless of their sexual orientation or travel. According to authorities, people suspected of being infected with the virus should be quarantined in a negative pressure room (the space used to isolate the patient) and staff should wear appropriate personal protective equipment around them. ..
“Many of these global reports of monkeypox cases occur within the sexual network, but healthcare providers should be aware of the rashes that are typical of monkeypox,” he said. Inger Damon, director of the CDC’s High-Results Pathogens and Pathology Department, said. , In the statement.
“If you have a new rash and are worried about monkeypox, we are asking the public to contact your healthcare provider,” Damon added.
According to the CDC, the virus can spread through body fluids, pain in people with monkeypox, and contact with common items contaminated with the virus. Monkeypox can also spread through respiratory droplets in nearby environments, such as in the same home, the agency said.
The CDC added that common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus.
