Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) is investigating a second and a third monkeypox case in Dallas County residents, according to a Thursday, June 23, news release.

The cases were identified in travelers arriving in Dallas from Spain and Mexico, respectively.
Preliminary test results were positive on Tuesday, June 21, and Wednesday, June 22, and the cases will be officially logged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
Because of privacy concerns, the DCHHS will not be disclosing the patients’ personal information.

Public Health officials have identified individuals who have had direct contact with the patient and are monitoring them for symptoms of infection. 

In addition, the CDC is working with the airline and state and local health officials to contact airline passengers and others who may have been in contact with the patient on board flights (including transfers) from Spain to Dallas, and Mexico to Dallas.
The patients have not been hospitalized, are isolated and recovering at home and do not pose a known risk to others at this time, the news release said.

“We continue to work closely with the CDC and the Texas Department of State Health Services and have conducted interviews with the patient and are continuing to contact persons who have been in close contact,” said DCHHS Director Philip Huang. “We have determined that there is little known risk to the general public at this time.”
Huang said monkeypox cases have been reported globally and the DCHHS are working with local health officials to help recognize the symptoms of the virus and report cases.

The monkeypox virus spreads between people primarily through direct contact with infectious sores, scabs, or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact. Monkeypox can spread during intimate contact between people, including during sex, as well as activities like kissing, cuddling, or touching parts of the body with monkeypox sores.

Recently, monkeypox cases have been linked to men who have sex with other men and participate in high-risk activities. Those infected with monkeypox may experience fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, as well as more serious complications.
For more information on Monkeypox, visit cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html.