Health officials are confirming a case of the monkeypox virus in Massachusetts. Initial testing was completed at a state lab in Jamaica Plain before being confirmed Wednesday by the CDC. The rare but serious infection was found in a man who had recently traveled to Canada. Though the virus doesn't spread easily between people, the Massachusetts DPH is asking doctors to consider the diagnosis for someone who has traveled in the last 30 days or report contact with someone who has monkeypox and now has an unexplained rash.
According to the State Health Department;
"No monkeypox cases have previously been identified in the United States in 2022; Texas and Maryland each reported a case in 2021 in people with recent travel to Nigeria. Since early May 2022, the United Kingdom has identified 9 cases of monkeypox; the first case had recently traveled to Nigeria. None of the other cases have reported recent travel."
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images