NEW YORK (AP) – Massachusetts on Wednesday announced a rare case of monkey blight in a man who recently traveled to Canada and health officials are looking into whether it is linked to minor outbreaks in Europe.
Monkeypox is usually limited to Africa and rare cases in the United States and elsewhere are often associated with travel there. A small number of confirmed or suspected cases were reported this month in the UK, Portugal and Spain.
U.S. health officials said they were in contact with British and Canadian officials as part of the investigation. The U.S. case poses no threat to the public and the Massachusetts native has been hospitalized but is in good condition, officials said.
This is the first time in the United States this year. Last year, Texas and Maryland reported cases of people traveling to Nigeria.
Monkeypox usually begins with an illness such as the flu and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body. In Africa, people are infected with bites from rats or small animals and are often not easily transmitted to humans.
However, investigators in Europe say most of the cases involve gay or bisexual men, and officials are looking into whether some of the infections are spread through close sexual intercourse during intercourse.
Monkeypox comes from the same family of chickenpox viruses. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover from monkey flowers within a few weeks, but this disease is fatal in 1 in 10 people.
The Associated Press Department of Health and Science receives support from Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. AP is solely responsible for all content.
Source: Huffpost
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