CDC confirms second travel-related case of monkeypox in US this year
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The CDC confirmed Wednesday that another traveler returning to the United States from Nigeria was diagnosed with monkeypox.
It is the second confirmed case of human monkeypox in a U.S. citizen who traveled from Nigeria this year, the first of which was reported in July in Texas.
CDC scientists confirmed that the new infection matches a strain of monkeypox that has been re-emerging in Nigeria since 2017. The patient is currently in isolation in Maryland, the CDC said.
Monkeypox presents similar smallpox, but with milder symptoms and the added clinical feature of lymph node disease. The infection progresses to form a widespread rash on the face and body.
There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, which has a mortality rate as high as 10% in Africa, but an FDA-approved vaccine that protects against the disease was recently recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for heath care personnel and lab workers at risk for infection.
The CDC said an effort is underway to contact all airline passengers and anyone else who may have been in contact with the patient.
Because of a mask mandate for all U.S. flights, the CDC said the risk for spread through respiratory droplets to other passengers is low. It is assessing potential risks for those who came into close contact with the patient.
After 40 years of no reported cases, monkeypox re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017. Since then, 218 cases have been confirmed in Nigeria and eight cases have been reported in international travelers from Nigeria, according to the CDC, including the two cases in U.S. travelers this year.
References:
CDC. 2021 travel-associated United States monkeypox case. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/2021-US-travel-case.html. Accessed Nov. 17, 2021.
CDC. Monkeypox. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html. Accessed Nov. 17, 2021.
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