First, Monkeypox Case Appears In Texas

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JAKARTA - A rare case of monkeypox in humans has emerged in Texas, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, becoming the first case in the state.

The viral disease was found in a US citizen who recently returned from Nigeria and is currently in hospital in Dallas.

"While it is rare, this case is no cause for alarm and we hope it will not pose a threat to the general public," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

In addition to Nigeria, outbreaks have been reported from central and west African countries since 1970, with a larger outbreak in the US occurring in 2003, the CDC said.

The CDC said it was coordinating with airline, state and local health authorities to contact passengers and others who might have come into contact with the patient.

The patient was infected with the most common variant found in areas of West Africa, such as Nigeria, he said.

There were at least six reported cases of monkeypox from travelers arriving from Nigeria, prior to the current case, including in the UK, Israel and Singapore, according to the CDC.

The latest monkeypox case is not related to the previous case.

Monkeypox, which is in the same family as the smallpox virus, is a rare but potentially fatal viral disease. The illness usually begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, which slowly progress to a rash on the face and body.

Monkeypox can be transmitted to other humans through respiratory droplets.

The CDC says because passengers wear masks to ward off COVID-19, the risk of spreading monkeypox via respiratory droplets to others on planes and at airports is minimal.