Monkeypox is a contactable disease and was once an issue to be addressed as a top health priority. In 2022 the United States experienced the first case of monkeypox. Learn about the first person to contact Monkeypox and what the first case that was detected in the United States was.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox shares some similarities with smallpox; it is a rare viral disease, and it is less severe than smallpox. Monkeypox was first identified in the search for monkeys in 1958; this viral disease is said to spread from rodents to humans in central and west Africa. Some symptoms in humans include fever, headache, muscle aches, and rashes, which will later progress into blisters.
The first human case of monkeypox
Monkeypox’s first case was recorded in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, the region of Africa has reported a continuous increase in this viral disease. This disease can spread through humans via respiratory droplets or direct contact with the lesions. There has been no specified treatment for monkeypox; smallpox vaccinations have proven to be quite effective in protecting against this virus.
The first case of monkeypox outside Africa
Monkeypox has been a rooted epidemic in Africa for decades; however, the first documented monkeypox case recorded outside the continent was in the United States in 2003. The monkeypox outbreak was linked to the importation of Gambian pouched rats, which in turn transmitted the virus to prairie dogs; these prairie dogs were then sold as pets. The first monkeypox bang happened in the United States, where humans got infested.
The 2003 outbreak affected 47 people across six states, and that was a major warning of a potential global spread through the exotic pet trade. This led the public and health officials to sprint into action around the world regarding the viral move as a zoonotic disease.
The first case of monkeypox in the United States in 2022
The Massachusetts health official announced the first monkeypox case, based on CBS Boston reports. The health department claimed that the infectious disease was discovered in an adult man who had recently traveled to Canada. Massachusetts General Hospital doctors claim that the patients did not have any travel to areas that had recorded high levels of monkeypox.
The DPH is working to identify people who may have been in contact with the man while he was infectious. The officials also addressed the public, saying that this case of monkeypox had no risk to the general public.
The man, who was a resident of Massachusetts, was hospitalized at mass. He has been isolated and is in stable condition. The hospital also reported that the disease was so rare that it took them 6 days to diagnose him with the help of the CDC.
Dr. Sarimer Sanche, the director of the infectious disease bureau for the Boston Public Health Commission, reported, “Really right now, human-to-human transmission really has occurred through close contact, generally speaking. And that is close contact via respiratory droplets and prolonged face-to-face contact, as well as direct contact through lesions or in direct contact through contaminated bedding or, sort of, clothing contaminated with the lesions.”
In 2021 the United States identified 2 monkeypox cases in Texas and Maryland from people who had recently traveled to Nigeria.
Here is a summary for you
As of April 2025, several chickenpox outbreaks have been reported across the U.S. In Florida, 98 cases were recorded this year, continuing an upward trend since 2020. South Carolina saw a sharp increase, with 100 cases reported by early March—almost double the previous week’s number. Penn State University confirmed three cases on its campus, and a Colorado Springs elementary school also reported three cases. While national data for 2025 isn’t fully available, these localized outbreaks highlight the importance of vaccination. Since the varicella vaccine’s introduction in 1995, annual cases have dropped significantly from over 4 million to fewer than 150,000. Health officials continue urging vaccination to prevent further spread and protect public health.
