Dallas Man Diagnosed With Texas' First Case Of Monkeypox

A Dallas resident who recently traveled overseas is the first person in Texas to ever be diagnosed with monkeypox.

The man is in isolation at a Dallas hospital and is in stable condition, the Dallas Morning News reported.

"This case is not a reason for alarm and we do not expect any threat to the general public," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement.

He recently traveled from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta and then to Dallas on July 9, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials are trying to figure out how the man contracted monkeypox and are identifying people who may have had close contact with him.

Monkeypox can cause a skin rash, a flu-like illness, and swollen lymph nodes. It can be spread from human to human through respiratory droplets or other bodily fluids or by coming in contact with skin lesions.

Health officials believe that the current mask requirement for airplane passengers help cut down on the virus' transmission.

“With everyone wearing masks … that really reduced any risk in those settings,” Dr. Philip Huang, Dallas County’s public health director, told the paper.

Monkeypox hasn't been seen in the United States since 2003. That outbreak was traced to prairie dogs in the Midwest and sickened 47 people across six states, NBC News reported.