A Texas man described his battle as “traumatic” with the monkey’s smallpox, as there are more than 2,000 documented cases in the United States.
The patient, Luke Shannahan, told KHOU 11 in Houston that his ordeal began after the Dallas Department of Health notified him that he had been exposed to the virus.
“I was at the bars. I was going to parties at the pool. I attended a music event on the weekend and recently all these people have become positive,” Shannahan said. “Looks like it was a contact tracking phone call.”
Shannahan said she spent the past three weeks in quarantine struggling with symptoms which she described as “a complete hell”.
“You have these blisters that are inflamed and every time you touch something or touch something, you literally feel like someone is taking a potato peeler off your skin,” Luke told the station.
There are currently more than 2,000 reported cases of monkeypox in the US, although it is much less contagious than COVID-19. AP
“All the pain was constant,” the patient said.
Luke received the monkeypox vaccine after contracting the disease. “Please help us get this vaccine out,” he said. Getty Images
Shannahan told NBC DFW that her smallpox symptoms were “100 times worse” than the coronavirus, with which she became infected last summer.
He was able to be vaccinated against monkeypox, which is accompanied by a rash with blisters and swollen lymph nodes.
“It’s the most traumatic experience I’ve ever had. He ‘s the worst patient I’ve ever been, “he told KHOU 11.
The infection, which spreads through body fluids and prolonged contact, has spread widely among gay men, but Texas has just reported its first case in a woman, according to the medium.
“It’s definitely something we need to pay attention to. This is not just a gay disease, this is not something that only affects gay men who have sex with men. Certainly this is something that can affect everyone. , ”LGBTQ lawyer Austin Davis Ruiz told KHOU 11.
There were just over 2,000 cases registered in the country, the CDC reported Tuesday. New York had 581 cases, most in the US.
Smallpox is much less contagious than COVID-19, according to health officials.