The Biden administration issued an alarming announcement today (Wednesday) that a person infected with the monkey pox virus has been identified, for the first time in the United States this year.
This is a man who was recently in Canada, so it may be a contagion incident that originated outside the U.S., but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, said it monitors a number of different centers around the world where cases of the virus have been detected in the past two weeks. The virus is not common at all, including in Portugal, the United Kingdom and Spain.
The institute said that "many of the reported cases of chickenpox are detected in sexual relationships between people and that medical centers should alert patients if they notice a rash that may be similar to the symptoms of chickenpox."
Also, people who are near those who have the virus should consult a doctor if they see a rash or abnormal signs on their skin, or flu symptoms, including an enlarged lymph node or a rash on the face and other parts of the body.
It is a virus that is similar to smallpox, but very uncommon in the world.
Usually the person who is infected with it gets it from a rodent or a small mammal.
Although difficult to transmit from person to person, direct activity of transferring body fluids or contact with wounds can increase the risk and in some cases even by tiny tiny droplets that carry the virus after it exits the carrier's respiratory tract.
The current case in the U.S., of a person in the state of Massachusetts, is the first this year in the U.S., but even in 2021 there were two cases of people coming from outside the U.S. that turned out to be positive.
Despite the concern, the CDC reassures and clarifies that "throughout history, this virus has been extremely rare, with extremely rare cases of infection. What we see in the UK, Spain and Europe is new so we are concerned, but for now there is no reason for people to panic."
In addition, the institute told the Fortune website that although there is an "urgency" in the response that needs to be given, there is currently no danger at the level of public health.
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