Is there monkeypox in the United States?
In early June 2003, monkeypox was reported among several people in the United States. Most of these people got sick after having contact with pet prairie dogs that were sick with monkeypox. This is the first time that there has been an outbreak of monkeypox in the United States. Monkeypox is a rare viral disease found mostly in regions of Africa. The virus is considered a foreign animal disease in the United States. In early June 2003, the first U.S. cases of monkeypox were reported in humans in the Midwest. Public health investigations revealed most of these individuals were sickened after having contact with prairie dogs. Further investigation traced the source of infection to a shipment of exotic rodents from Africa, imported into the United States. Once in this country, the monkeypox-infected African rodents where commingled with native American prairie dogs as they were sold to pet shops and animal dealers, then consumers in several states. Some of those prairie dogs, which had ne
