DSHS confirms first monkeypox case in Texas for 2022

The Texas Department of State Health Services is working with Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate a single case of monkeypox virus infection in a Dallas County resident with recent international travel. The patient is isolated at home. The public health investigation has identified a few people who may have been exposed in Dallas and are monitoring themselves for symptoms of infection. The illness does not currently present a risk to the general public.

Public health officials are reaching out to passengers who could have been exposed to the patient on a flight from Mexico to Dallas with instructions on how to monitor themselves for symptoms.

The CDC are tracking multiple cases of monkeypox that have been reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the United States. DSHS and the CDC urge health care providers in the U.S. to be alert for patients with rash illnesses consistent to monkeypox. More guidance for providers and general information about monkeypox is available online on the DSHS Monkeypox and DSHS Monkeypox Response webpages.

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal. It can also be transmitted from person to person by inhaling large respiratory droplets or through close contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as bedding and other contaminated materials. Those infected may experience fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, as well as more serious complications.

Dallas County Health and Human Services is leading the investigation and has more information on their website.

-30-

(News Media Contact: pressofficer@dshs.texas.gov)