CDC, Florida health officials investigating state’s first presumptive monkeypox case

The Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating a presumptive case of monkeypox that has been identified in Broward County.

In a statement on Sunday, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County said the presumptive case was related to international travel and the person involved is currently isolated.

“DOH-Broward is conducting epidemiological investigations to notify possible exposures and offer potential post-exposure prophylaxis. At this time, DOH-Broward has not identified any additional cases,” the department said.

A presumptive case means that the patient has tested positive at the local level but has yet to be confirmed by a national body such as the CDC. In most situations, presumptive cases become confirmed cases.

News of the likely monkeypox infection in Florida comes just days after the first U.S. case of monkeypox in 2022 was confirmed to have been detected in a Massachusetts man who had recently traveled to Canada.

Over the weekend, New York state health officials confirmed that a New York City resident had also tested positive for monkeypox.

Most incidents of monkeypox are found in central and western Africa, with infections outside of these regions being relatively rare. The recent cases that have been detected across Europe have left health officials stumped due to the unclear train of transmission.

Monkeypox is still considered to pose a low risk to the general public, though the CDC has issued a health advisory for physicians to be vigilant of the symptoms.

The symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle pain and the characteristic rash that covers the face and body. The pathogen incubates for about five to 13 days and a person is considered to be contagious upon the onset of symptoms. They are presumed to be infectious until their skin lesions scab over and new, healthy skin has formed.