Monkeypox virus that causes extreme rash all over body and has no treatment is reported in Texas resident

THE first confirmed case of monkeypox virus in the US in two decades was detected after a Dallas resident returned from a trip to Nigeria. 

The unidentified American landed in Atlanta on July 8 and then reached Dallas Love Field Airport the following day. 

AlamyAn American tested positive for the rare and incurable disease monkeypox after flying to Dallas from a trip to Nigeria[/caption]

GettyHealth officials are calling for calm stating there is no immediate threat to the general public[/caption]

“While rare, this case is not a reason for alarm and we do not expect any threat to the general public,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that can cause widespread rashes, fever, headaches and muscle aches in people who contract it.

According to WHO, the monkeypox virus has similar features to the more dangerous human smallpox.

There are two types of monkeypox viruses – the more contagious and harsher version from Central Africa and the other from West Africa. 

It was discovered in 1958 after two outbreaks mirrored pox-like disease in monkey colonies that were being held for research – hence the birth of its name “monkeypox.”

In the case of the sick Texan, the stain of monkeypox is the milder West African strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Friday. 

And while monkeypox is much milder than smallpox, it can be fatal.

It has a mortality rate of between one in 100 people, with most deaths occurring in younger age groups. 

Death is more probable if the person is stricken with a weak immune system. 

Perhaps most critical is that there is no current cure or proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection.

That’s largely in part because the vaccine to treat the disease is off-limits to the general public, as it was discontinued after global smallpox eradication.

Still, when the vaccination was used against smallpox it was been proven to be 85 percent effective in also warding off monkeypox.

Human cases outside of Africa number only half a dozen times. 

The last time the US confirmed a monkeypox case was back in 2003 with 47 infections, according to the CDC. 

The county’s top health official Dr. Philip Huang also urged calm.

He noted that interviews had been conducted with the patient and “close contacts that were exposed.”

“We have determined that there is very little risk to the general public,” he said, noting that the Delta Airlines flights employed a mandatory mask policy for passengers and crew.

“Therefore, it’s believed the risk of spread of monkeypox via respiratory droplets to others on the planes and in the airports is low,” the Dallas County statement read.

Dr. Huang admitted there are consequences if protocols and safety measures aren’t being respected or implemented.

“This is another demonstration of the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure, as we are only a plane ride away from any global infectious disease.”

Health officials have isolated the patient at a Dallas hospital while recovering from the disease, Dallas County Health and Human Services officials said.

More recent cases of monkeypox were found in 2018 when the UK counted three cases and Israel documented one case. 

Singapore marked the only location outside the large continent to record a case in 2019. 

Already in 2021, the UK confirmed three cases. 

Monkeypox is contracted whenever humans come in contact with an animal (and particularly a rodent), dress wild game or it can infect people who use animal products.

In Africa, human infections have been documented through the handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels. 

Like Covid-19, human-to-human transmission is suspected of occurring through large respiratory droplets, according to the CDC. 

The disease is known to also spread when there is contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or items that have been contaminated with fluids or lesions, such as clothing and linens.

GettyThe discovery in Dallas marks the first case of the monkeypox virus in the US in two decades[/caption]

GettyIt was discovered in 1958 after two outbreaks mirrored pox-like disease in monkey colonies that were being held for research – hence the birth of its name “monkeypox”[/caption]