FILE - Monkeypox virus in human vesicular fluid. (BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)After a spate of rare monkeypox cases reported in Europe, the first case of monkeypox in the United States was confirmed out of Massachusetts on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The patient in Massachusetts was identified as an adult male who recently returned home from his travels in Canada, according to health officials.
There is no threat to the public and the infected individual is hospitalized and in good condition, according to the state’s health department.
Monkeypox belongs to a family of viruses that includes smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the World Health Organization said that the disease is fatal for up to one in 10 people.