The Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed Monday that a suspected case of monkeypox found in a metro Atlanta man is indeed the virus.
DPH said the man has a history of international travel. The man tested positive last week for the orthopoxvirus, which is associated with smallpox and monkeypox.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted confirmatory testing, they determined that he does have the virus. The CDC is currently tracking nearly two dozen confirmed cases of the illness in the U.S. The other cases are in California, Utah, Massachusetts and Florida.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, back pain, muscle aches and low energy. It can also cause a rash and lesions on the face or genitals. The illness can be fatal in up to 11% of people who become infected.
There is no known treatment for the virus, but smallpox vaccines and antiviral treatments can be used to help control outbreaks.
Still, health officials say monkeypox is much less transmissible than the coronavirus and that the risk to the public is low. Many of the cases have been travel-associated and occurred in men.
The illness is endemic to Africa and has not previously triggered widespread outbreaks beyond the African continent.
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