Monkeypox in Georgia: Third case confirmed by health officials
A digitally colorized electron microscopic image showing a monkeypox virus particle obtained from a clinical sample associated with an outbreak in 2003. (CDC File Image)
ATLANTA - State health officials have confirmed a third case of monkeypox in Georgia.
This latest case is a metro Atlanta man who recently traveled to a convention in Chicago. He is isolating at home.
Health officials said they are using contact tracing to identify anyone who may have had contact with the man.
Earlier this month, the GDPH had confirmed its first case and second case of orthopoxvirus in metro Atlanta.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent reported 113 confirmed cases as of Friday. There are more than 1,600 cases in 39 countries, including Spain, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, and the United States.
2 monkeypox strains in US suggest possible undetected spread
Genetic analysis of recent monkeypox cases suggests there are two distinct strains in the U.S., health officials said Friday, raising the possibility that the virus has been circulating undetected for some time.
Many of the U.S. cases were caused by the same strain as recent cases in Europe, but a few samples show a different strain, federal health officials said. Each strain had been seen in U.S. cases last year, before the recent international outbreak was identified.
WHAT IS MONKEYPOX AND WHAT IS CAUSING IT TO SPREAD?
Analysis from many more patients will be needed to determine how long monkeypox has been circulating in the U.S. and elsewhere, said Jennifer McQuiston of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC said it is trying to increase its work on finding infections, and it’s likely more cases will be reported.
The findings mean the outbreak likely will be difficult to contain, said Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan.
It’s not clear how long infections have been happening, and where. Some infections may have been misdiagnosed as something else.
The Associated Press contributed to this story