Monkeypox outbreak: Gay men advised to check for rashes
monkeypox was diagnosed in a man in Massachusetts.Although occasional cases are identified in the US, they are usually in people who have returned from a trip to Central or West Africa.
Two people in Maryland and Texas were diagnosed with it last year, but both had visited Nigeria beforehand.However, the Massachusetts man had returned from a trip to Canada in late April.“At this point in time, we don’t have any information that links the Massachusetts case to cases in the UK”, said Jennifer McQuiston of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
She added, “I do think we are preparing for the possibility of more cases.”The US individual concerned is in hospital, in a stable condition.Related: CDC issues health alert to gay and bi men in FloridaThe first UK case, reported earlier in May, was in a man who had returned from Nigeria.
However, subsequent cases are in people who have no recent history of travels to West Africa.In Lisbon, Portugal, five cases have been identified in young men.
