Monkeypox in Dallas, Texas

Monkeypox

Communicable disease disasters are back on the frontburner as monkeypox in Dallas was announced yesterday afternoon in a combined press conference by Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and Dallas County Health officials.

Monkeypox

DSHS is actively working with Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the current single case of the virus infection in a Dallas County resident who had traveled to Mexico recently.

The patient is isolated at home. The public health investigation has identified a few people who may have been exposed in Dallas and are monitoring themselves for symptoms of infection. The illness does not currently present a risk to the general public thought there are multiple cases happening in Europe indicating it may be community spread.

The CDC are tracking multiple cases of monkeypox that have been reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the United States. DSHS and the CDC urge health care providers in the United States to be alert for patients with rash illnesses consistent to monkeypox.

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal.

Monkeypox

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.

Monkeypox in Dallas – Again

Last July, a patient returning from international travel was diagnosed with monkeypox. That diagnosis and the presence of Candida Auris – an untreatable fungal infection – led to concerns about additional infections on top of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pox Panic

Pox Panic

A pox panic is taking place across the United States as more than two hundred contacts occurred between the Dallas monkeypox case last week and those who came within six feet of the initial patient.

Pox Panic

In addition to its recent focus on COVID19, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is monitoring two hundred cases across twenty-seven states. The Texas individual who contracted the disease in Nigeria before traveling to Dallas by way of Atlanta on July 8 – 9, 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that so far, no additional cases of the disease have been detected among those being monitored, but there is the possibility contact cases have happened unknown to CDC investigators.

State and local health officials are working with the CDC to follow up with known contacts of the Dallas infected patient, Patient Zero.

Pox Panic Started Friday

The case of monkeypox is the first confirmed case of the disease in the United States in two decades.

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

Other signs and symptoms include:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Backache
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Chills
  • Exhaustion
Pox Panic

According to WHO, the monkeypox virus has similar features to the more dangerous human smallpox. The primary difference between in symptoms between smallpox and monkeypox is monkeypox will cause lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy). Smallpox does not have cause lymphadenopathy.

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

Dallas Monkeypox Case

Dallas Monkeypox Case

A Dallas monkeypox case was reported by Dallas County Health and Human Services, but their spokesman says the confirmation of monkeypox infection in the city is “rare,” but “not a reason for alarm.”

DCHHS confirmed the infection in a person who traveled from Nigeria to Dallas and arrived at Love Field on July 9th. Health officials said Friday the person is currently isolated at a Dallas hospital, believed to be the Parkland Hospital Infectious Disease unit, to prevent the spread of the virus and is said to be in stable condition.

The case is the first known case of monkeypox in a Dallas resident. Dallas has been a Hot Zone for COVID19 and other infectious diseases because of its multiple international airports.

Dallas Monkeypox Background

The first human cases of monkeypox were recorded in 1970 in Africa, specifically the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dallas Monkeypox Case

At the time there was an intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox.’

In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms associated with smallpox.

Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion.

The primary difference between in symptoms between smallpox and monkeypox is monkeypox will cause lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy). Smallpox does not have cause lymphadenopathy.

The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days. The illness begins with:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Backache
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Chills
  • Exhaustion