Deena Beesley

(Reuters) – A single monkeypox case was confirmed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Wednesday. The victim had just recently traveled to Canada.

State agency stated it would work with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and appropriate local boards to perform contact tracing. They also said that there was no public risk and that the patient is in good health.

Although rare, monkeypox is an uncommon viral infection that occurs mostly in central and west Africa. It’s similar to smallpox but milder. In the 1970s, it was first reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over the past 10 years, West Africa has seen an increase in cases.

Fever, headaches, skin rashes and other symptoms can be seen starting with the skin and moving to the entire body.

Although the virus cannot be spread easily among people, it can still cause illness through direct contact with blood, fluids and sores.

According to the report, no cases of monkeypox have been reported in America this year. Maryland, Texas, and Maryland reported one case each in 2021 for Nigerian travelers who recently visited the United States.

The CDC didn’t immediately reply to a request of comment.

A few cases of monkeypox were recently reported in Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

Yesterday, Portuguese authorities reported five confirmed cases. On Wednesday afternoon, Spain’s health service said it was testing 23 possible cases.

Since May 7, when Britain first reported the case, European Health Authorities have been monitoring the spread of the disease. Six more cases were found in Europe since that time.