The Indiana Department of Health also said it was investigating a probable case of monkeypox, but would not disclose the patient’s location, which they said was isolated.
Contact tracking is underway in both states. Initial tests were performed at state health department laboratories and confirmatory tests are pending in the laboratories of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The risk of smallpox among the general public remains extremely low,” said Indiana Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box. “The monkey’s smallpox is rare and does not spread easily through brief casual contact.”
On Friday, the CDC reported more than 110 confirmed cases of monkeypox / orthopoxvirus in several states. California has 24 cases, followed by New York with 21 and Illinois with 15.
The Houston, Texas Department of Health confirmed its first case of smallpox on Saturday.
“The resident developed symptoms after returning from the trip and is experiencing a mild illness,” the Houston Department of Health said in a written statement. “The resident did not require hospitalization and is isolated in his home.”
The first case of monkeypox in the United States in 2022 was reported in mid-May when a Massachusetts resident tested positive after returning from Canada. According to an update on the WHO situation, more than 2,103 confirmed cases and 1 suspected case of smallpox worldwide in 42 countries, including one death in Nigeria, have been reported to the World Health Organization this year.
Smallpox is a rare infection, a much less serious cousin of the now-eradicated smallpox virus. It is endemic to parts of West and Central Africa and is usually contracted by a rodent or small mammal. It is not easily transmitted from one person to another.
However, the monkeypox virus can spread through contact with body fluids, smallpox wounds, or items such as clothing and bedding contaminated with the virus. It can also spread from person to person through respiratory droplets, usually in a nearby environment, according to the CDC.