DC Reports its First Possible Case of Monkeypox

On Sunday, DC Health reported its first positive orthopox case detected in a person who recently traveled to Europe and samples have been taken by the CDC to be tested for Monkeypox.

According to the CDC, the patient is isolating himself and poses no risk to the public, and his close contacts are being monitored. As of Sunday, no other cases have been identified.

As of Friday, the CDC’s most recent data shows there are currently 25 confirmed monkeypox/orthopox virus cases in the United States.

So far, one case was confirmed in a woman with a heterosexual sexual life, though the gender and sexual orientation of the D.C. resident who tested positive were not noted. In the U.S., most cases have been found in men who have sex with men.

The CDC said last week that the monkeypox variant infecting people in the U.S. is a less severe West African type. Officials, on the other hand, were eager to warn against underestimating the risk of monkeypox.