Public health officials in Georgia said on Monday that they are following 43 people who may have been exposed, but so far none have symptoms, according to Georgia Health News on July 26. The CDC said that it is working with the airline and state and local health officials to contact airline passengers and others who may have been near the patient during two flights: Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta on July 8, with arrival on July 9; and Atlanta to Dallas on July 9. The infected man — who is believed to be the first monkeypox case in the United States since 2003 — was admitted to hospital and is reportedly in a stable condition, and so far no new cases have been identified. The Texas Department of State Health Services emphasizes that the illness does not currently present a risk to the general public, and the CDC notes that the risk of transmission of this small pox-like disease is believed to be low because travelers were required to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and monkeypox is primarily spread through respiratory droplets. “Monkeypox remains extremely rare in the United States, and cases can be clearly linked to specific exposures that can be avoided,” said Jennifer Horney, PhD, professor of epidemiology and core faculty with the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware in Newark. She added, however, that this incident spotlights how diseases that remain endemic in certain parts of the world — and are associated with unsafe domestication of wild animals — can potentially spread around the globe. People can get monkeypox when they are bitten or scratched by an animal, prepare wild game, or have contact with an infected animal or possibly animal products. “A large 47-person outbreak of monkey pox impacted the United States in 2003,” said Dr. Horney. “That was traced back to contact with with exotic mammals that were being kept as pets.” Although rare, monkeypox can be deadly in a small percentage of people. The illness typically begins with flu-like symptoms (fever, headaches, muscle ache) along with swelling of the lymph nodes. It then progresses to an itchy rash on the face and body — often noticeable on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Most infections last two to four weeks. Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes a milder infection, according to the CDC. Laboratory testing by the federal health agency revealed that the infected individual has a strain common to West Africa, including Nigeria, and is fatal in about 1 in 100 people. The CDC urges the public to contact their local health department with further questions.
