First Case Of Monkeypox Confirmed In Georgia: CDC

GEORGIA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the first official case of monkeypox in Georgia.

The federal health agency, which is headquartered in Atlanta, reported the diagnosis Wednesday.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the case was detected in a metro Atlanta man with a history of international travel.

"DPH is conducting contact tracing and will continue to monitor this individual," Nancy Nydam, a GDPH spokesperson, told Patch.

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• Monkeypox In U.S.: What Georgia Residents Should Know

As of Wednesday, the CDC has confirmed 18 cases of monkeypox in nine states — Georgia now among them. Only two other southern states, Florida and Virginia, have reported cases.

The first U.S. case this year was reported in Massachusetts in May after the virus was detected in an adult man who recently traveled to Canada.

This is not the first time the virus has caused Georgians to be on alert. In July 2021, 26 people in Georgia were monitored for monkeypox after coming into contact with a person who contracted the rare disease before flying from Nigeria to Atlanta and then to Dallas, NPR previously reported.