The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) have confirmed a Dallas County resident has become the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Texas.
The patient is currently isolated at home after traveling internationally, and an investigation is underway to identified a few people who may have been exposed in Dallas. Those people currently are monitoring themselves for infection symptoms.
The illness does not currently present a risk to the general public, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal.
It can also be transmitted from person to person by inhaling large respiratory droplets or through close contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as bedding and other contaminated materials.
Those infected may experience fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, as well as more serious complications.
Public health officials are reaching out to passengers who could have been exposed to the patient on a flight from Mexico to Dallas, with instructions on how to monitor themselves for symptoms.
“We have been working closely with the CDC and the Texas Department of State Health Services and have conducted interviews with the patient and close contacts,” DCHHS Director Dr. Philip Huang states on the group's facebook page. “We have determined that there is little-known risk to the general public at this time. However, monkeypox cases have been spreading globally, and we are actively working with local healthcare providers to ensure they are prepared to recognize monkeypox and report suspected cases to public health officials.”
Dallas County Health and Human Services and the CDC urge health care providers in the U.S. to be alert for patients with rash illnesses consistent to monkeypox.
Dallas County Health and Human Services is leading the investigation and has more information on its website.
More general information about monkeypox is available online at www.dshs.texas.gov/IDCU/disease/Monkeypox.aspx and www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html.
