DALLAS — Texas’ first case of monkeypox has been identified in Dallas.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a single case of monkeypox virus infection in a Dallas County resident who recently traveled internationally. That person is currently isolating at home.

Public health investigators have identified a few people who may have been exposed in Dallas and are monitoring themselves for symptoms of infection. They are also reaching out to passengers who could have been exposed to the patient on a flight from Mexico to Dallas with instructions on how to monitor themselves for symptoms. The illness does not currently present a risk to the public. 

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal. It can also be transmitted from person to person by inhaling large respiratory droplets or through close contact with body fluids and lesions, as well as bedding and other contaminated materials. Those infected may experience fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, as well as more serious complications.

The CDC is tracking multiple cases of monkeypox that have been reported in several countries that don’t normally report monkeypox, including the United States. DSHS and the CDC urge health care providers in the U.S. to be alert for patients with rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox.