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The
first case of monkeypox this year in the United States was
confirmed on Wednesday by the Massachusetts Department of Public
Health. The infected man had recently traveled to Canada.
"It is likely that there could be some additional cases detected
in the coming days as surveillance and testing begin to work
more actively to look for cases," the official told reporters.
"There appears to be a low risk to the general public at this
time," the official added.
Monkeypox, which mostly occurs in west and central Africa, is a
rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder.
It was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the
1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased in the
last decade.
Symptoms include fever, headaches and skin rashes starting on
the face and spreading to the rest of the body.
The virus does not spread easily between people, but
transmission can occur through contact with body fluids,
monkeypox sores, items such as bedding or clothing that have
been contaminated with fluids or sores, or through respiratory
droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact.
(Reporting by Michael Erman and Eric Beech; Editing by Chris
Reese and Bill Berkrot)
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