First case of monkeypox confirmed in Georgia. What health officials are saying
UPDATE: A suspected case of monkeypox identified in Georgia last week has been confirmed as the virus, the state’s Department of Public Health confirmed Monday, June 6. The metro-Atlanta man is isolating at home and officials continue to monitor his symptoms.
Original story continues below:
Health officials are investigating a suspected case of the monkeypox virus in Georgia, the state health department announced Wednesday, June 1.
An Atlanta-area man with “a history of international travel” tested positive for orthopoxvirus — a family of viruses that includes smallpox and monkeypox. It’s unclear if the man traveled outside of the U.S. recently.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doing confirmatory testing to determine if this is monkeypox virus,” the Georgia Department of Public Health said in a statement. “DPH is conducting contact tracing and will continue to monitor this individual who is currently isolating at home.”
The CDC is “closely” monitoring cases of the virus recently reported in several states including Florida, California and Washington, according to the agency’s website. Health officials aren’t sure how people are contracting the virus but said said cases include people who self-identify as “men who have sex with men.”
Those who develop symptoms may have also recently traveled to west or central Africa where monkeypox activity has been reported or have been in close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected monkeypox, the CDC said.
As of May 31, there were 18 confirmed cases of monkeypox/orthopoxvirus in the U.S., according to the agency. The virus is typically spread from person to person through direct contact with infected sores or bodily fluids, by materials that have touched an infected person or through intimate sexual contact.
Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen lymph nodes
The infected person may also develop a rash or lesions that start on the face before spreading to other parts of the body, the CDC said.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 3:09 PM.