In what may be the first US monkeypox case of the year, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Wednesday said a case of the rare skin disease had been detected in a man.
He is being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and is in good condition. Contact tracing has started, and there's no threat to the general public, the department said in a news release. The man had recently traveled to Canada.
The man has been hospitalized since May 12, and the diagnosis took 6 days to make because the disease is so rare, CBS News reported.
"I would emphasize that historically, this has been a rare disease with very rare transmission around the world," said Paul Biddinger, MD, director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General, according to CBS News.
"What we have seen in the United Kingdom, in Spain, and in Europe has been novel, and that gives us cause for concern. But I think, appropriately, people should not be afraid of monkeypox right now. The current patient is of no public health risk right now. People should just be aware of symptoms, but not be afraid in any way."
More monkeypox cases are being reported overseas.
