The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed late Tuesday that a Maryland patient came down with the second case of monkeypox in the U.S. this year.
The CDC said in a release Wednesday that the patient had recently returned from traveling in Nigeria, and that the agency is working with state, local and international health officials as well as the airline to notify passengers and anyone else who may have come into contact with the infected person.
Because the flight required all passengers to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC said that scientists think the risk of monkeypox spreading throughout the aircraft via respiratory droplets is “low.”
The patient developed mild symptoms and was not hospitalized, but is currently in isolation, according to the Maryland Department of Health (MDH).
“Our response in close coordination with CDC officials demonstrates the importance of maintaining a strong public health infrastructure,” MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Jinlene Chan said in a statement.
This is not the first case of monkeypox to surface in the U.S. this year. In July, a Texas resident who traveled to Nigeria came down with monkeypox, according to The Hill.
According to the CDC, monkeypox is a “rare but potentially serious” disease where people who come down with the disease develop flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before breaking out into a rash throughout the body.
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