DC reports its 1st Orthopox & potential Monkeypox case

DC Health has confirmed the first Orthopox and potential Monkeypox case in the District. The patient is a DC resident who had recently traveled to Europe. Monkeypox belongs to the Orthopox family of viruses.
DC Health sent the patient’s samples to the CDC for additional testing and “confirmation of the Monkeypox virus.” Health authorities noted that the patient is currently in isolation and thus did not pose a risk to the public.
DC Health said it is “identifying and monitoring close contacts, however, at this time no additional cases have been identified in the District.”
The first Monkeypox case in the US in 2022 was reported in Massachusetts last month. On June 4th, the WHO confirmed over 700 Monkeypox cases in 27 non-endemic countries.
According to the CDC, as of June 6th, the total confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases in the US is 31.