Rare case of monkeypox detected in Dallas, Texas

July 18, 2021 carleyshaffer1 US 0

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Edward R. Roybal campus in Atlanta, Georgia on April 23, 2020. - The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 186,462 on April 23, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. (Photo by Tami Chappell / AFP) (Photo by TAMI CHAPPELL/AFP via Getty Images)

A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Edward R. Roybal campus in Atlanta, Ga. (TAMI CHAPPELL/AFP via Getty Images)

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UPDATED 8:21 AM PT – Sunday, July 18, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed a case of monkeypox in Texas. On Friday, the CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed a Dallas resident had tested positive for the illness after traveling from Nigeria.

Monkeypox is a rare, but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like symptoms and progresses to a widespread rash on both the face and body. The unidentified patient is being hospitalized in isolation and is currently in stable condition.

A child affected by monkeypox, sits on his father's legs while receiving treatment at the centre of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontieres - MSF), in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region, in the Central African Republic on October 18, 2018. - Monkeypox is a contagious disease, without remedy, which heals itself, but who can kill if not treated in time. Since May 2018, the monkeypox virus, which spreads in tropical Africa, has become a "public health threat" in the Central African Republic, according to the Pasteur Institute of Bangui. (Photo by CHARLES BOUESSEL / AFP) (Photo credit should read CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)

A child affected by monkeypox, sits on his father’s legs while receiving treatment at the center of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontieres – MSF), in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region, in the Central African Republic on October 18, 2018. (CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)

The infection is known to last anywhere from two to four weeks, and is fatal in about 1 in 100 people.

In the meantime, health officials are monitoring the situation closely and have determined there is very little risk to the general public.