Douglas County has reported Nebraska's first suspected case of monkeypox.
The patient is a man in his 30s with a history of international travel, the Douglas County Health Department said in a news release. The person is isolating at home and the health department said contact tracing is underway to find anyone else who may have been exposed to the disease.
The case was identified by the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory, and a sample has been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
The case is part of more than 200 of the disease that officially have been diagnosed in the U.S. as part of a worldwide outbreak that began earlier this year. However, medical experts have speculated that case numbers here are much higher and being under-reported due to a lack of testing.
“As monkeypox infections are increasingly identified throughout the U.S. and the world, it’s critical we continue searching for it here in Nebraska,” said Nebraska State Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Donahue.
“Monkeypox is spread through close contact with someone who has a characteristic rash. Nebraskans should be aware of the rash’s appearance, and we need individuals with that characteristic rash to talk to their health care providers so we can help arrange testing.”
In addition to the rash, which causes lesions that resemble pimples or blisters, monkeypox usually causes other symptoms that include swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache and body aches. Human transmission usually involves extended close personal contact or contact with materials contaminated with the virus.
The disease is similar to smallpox, but usually produces milder symptoms.