Washington Reports First Possible Monkeypox Case as Experts Suspect Virus Spreading Undetected

Authorities have identified the first possible case of monkeypox in a Washington, DC resident who traveled to Europe recently.

On Saturday, DC Health confirmed that the resident was positive for orthopox, the viral family including monkeypox.

Monkeypox has been confirmed after samples were collected and transmitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Close contacts are being identified and monitored, and the affected resident is being isolated. As of Sunday, no more instances had been detected by DC Health, and the public health risk remained low, as per a report from The Hill.

This is in line with the CDC's declared containment strategy for monkeypox. The present aim of the agency is to isolate individuals, identify close contacts, and make vaccines available to them.

According to the CDC, over 25 monkeypox cases have been identified in at least 11 states so far, with no reported deaths.

In the United States, the majority of cases have been found in men who have sex with men, while one case has been confirmed in a woman who has a heterosexual sex life. The D.C. patient's gender and sexual orientation were not disclosed.

While the virus has a low death rate, symptoms such as the rash that develops can be extremely painful, and lesions can leave lasting scars. Other flu-like symptoms of monkeypox include headaches, muscle aches, and fever.

Monkeypox Spreading Undetected

The World Health Organization believes monkeypox cases may have been spreading out of Africa undetected for years before the first case was verified on May 13, per Fox News.

Monkeypox is a well-known virus that poses no threat comparable to COVID-19. Monkeypox cases are usually exclusively discovered in people who have recently gone to Africa. However, the cases in May appeared almost simultaneously around the world in persons who had not recently visited Africa.

WHO stated: "The sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox simultaneously in several non-endemic countries suggests that there might have been undetected transmission for some unknown duration of time followed by recent amplifier events."

The disease may have gone undetected in Western countries under the guise of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to Dr. Amesh Adalja. There are several STIs that have similar symptoms to monkeypox.

In an NBC News report, Adalja remarked that the illness "found its way into a social and sexual network" and then was greatly aided by major amplification events, like raves in Belgium, to disseminate around the world."

Cases outside of Africa are currently focused around Europe and North America, as well as Australia.

What You Need To Know About Monkeypox

Monkeypox symptoms begin as relatively flu-like but soon expand to the swelling of lymph nodes and a rash across the body and face. Ultimately, painful lesions form on rash areas, leaving severe scarring.

The virus spreads mostly through the lesions that develop as a result of monkeypox. Transmission can occur through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, as well as contact with their clothing or bedsheets.

Hand washing and cleaning linens with regular laundry detergent can help to keep the sickness from spreading.

Monkeypox usually lasts two to four weeks, and once all of the lesions have scabbed over and healed, the person is no longer infectious.