US reports 1st monkeypox case of 2022: 10 things to know

The Massachusetts man who is the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the US in 2022 travelled to Canada at the end of April and returned early May. He used private transporation.

A rare case of monkeypox which is also the first confirmed case of this year has been reported in the United States in a Massachusetts man who recently travelled to Canada. Though this is the first confirmed case in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing for the possibility of more monkeypox cases.

An image created during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 1996 to 1997, shows the hands of a patient with a rash due to monkeypox.(via REUTERS)

Here are 10 things to know about monkeypox and the 1st case in the United States in 2022

1. The Massachusetts man travelled to Canada at the end of April to meet friends and returned in early May. He used private transportation.

2. This is the first case of monkeypox this year. Last year, Texas and Maryland each reported a case in people who travelled to Nigeria.

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3. Recent cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. It is not yet known whether the US case has any links to the small outbreak in Europe.

4. Contact tracing of the Massachusetts man is going on and the CDC has not revealed where in Canada the man travelled to.

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5. Monkeypox is believed to be fatal -- 1 in 10 cases with severe disease and death more likely among kids.

6. Monkeypox typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body.

7. Monkeypox cases are prevalent in Africa where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, and it does not usually spread easily among people.

8. Investigators in Europe say most of the cases have been in gay or bisexual men, and officials are looking into the possibility that some infections were spread through close contact during sex.

9. Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox.

10. Smallpox vaccine works against monkeypox. Vaccination after exposure to the monkeypox virus is also possible but has to be taken within 4 days from the date of exposure.

(With agency inputs)