By: Tadi Abedje

The individual, who has not been identified yet by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had spent time in the African country. Then on July 8, the traveler took a plane ride from Nigeria and landed in Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in College Park, Georgia, which is outside of Atlanta. After the short stop, the individual continued on their flight to Dallas, Texas, where they are now in a Dallas hospital. 

Investigators from the CDC are looking into the matter by tracking down local and state health officials to find the passengers who were in close proximity to the individual. The policy created by the Transportation Security Administration is still in place, that passengers have to wear masks during their flights to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. 

According to the CDC Newsroom Releases, monkeypox is defined as “a rare but potentially serious viral illness that typically begins with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a widespread rash on the face and body.” Additionally, the people more likely to die from it are those who have compromised immune systems. 

In 2003, there was an outbreak of the monkeypox virus in America. There were 47 cases that were in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

“After the 2003 outbreak, there was much more interest in the monkeypox as a zoonotic disease. It was brought to the U.S. through an exotic animal shipment from West Africa,” said Kevin Karem, Ph.D., in a 2012 interview. “It turns out one species found in North America, the prairie dog, was very susceptible to the disease.” 

This particular case is happening at a time when the most infectious Delta variant has made its way into America with cases on the rise again. 

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