The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Monday an individual who recently returned from West Africa has been diagnosed with the most deadly type of monkeypox. The outbreak comes in the wake of the CDC declaring an end to the severe and widespread outbreak in the U.S.
The CDC has not identified any contact or places where the victim may have had recent contact with a third person who has mild symptoms associated with the disease.
The virus is carried in animals, including bats, monkeys and rodents and has been found in the country of origin for most cases (Guinea). It is transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected monkeys or people who have contact with infected animals. The main symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea, diarrhea and rash. The virus can sometimes lead to swelling of lymph nodes in the neck and chest, a swelling of the brain and death in rare cases. The monkeypox infection is considered very rare: There have been 34 confirmed cases of human infection since 2003, with 11 of those being fatal.