The patient is currently isolated and does not pose a risk to the public.Ĭases of monkeypox have previously been identified in travelers from, or residents of, West African or Central African countries where monkeypox is considered to be endemic. Testing at CDC on May 18 confirmed the patient was infected with a West African strain of monkeypox virus. This group of viruses includes monkeypox virus (the causative agent of monkeypox).
On May 17, 2022, skin lesions that had several features suspicious for monkeypox-firm, well circumscribed, deep-seated, and umbilicated lesions-on a Massachusetts resident prompted specialized Laboratory Response Network (LRN) testing of swab specimens collected from the resident preliminary testing confirmed the presence of DNA consistent with an orthopoxvirus using Orthopoxvirus generic and non-variola Orthopoxvirus real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating a confirmed case of monkeypox in the United States. Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network
