Daddyland Attendees Possibly Exposed To Monkeypox: Officials

DALLAS, TX — Community transmission of monkeypox is a possibility in Dallas after an out-of-state visitor attended a weekend festival before testing positive for the virus, Dallas County Health and Human Services announced Wednesday.

The visitor was in town for Daddyland Festival and also attended private parties in the area over the 4th of July weekend, according to officials.

Daddyland Festival is a series of dance parties and social gatherings across the Dallas metro. This year's version went from Wednesday through Monday.

See also:

• What Is Monkeypox? What You Need To Know

There is a "concern" of local transmission for anyone who attended these events. There previously were four confirmed cases of monkeypox in Dallas County. All four are local men who reported having sex with other men and have a history of international travel, health officials said.

Monkeypox is typically spread by skin-to-skin contact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.  Infected people can suffer flu-like symptoms, swelling of lymph nodes and a rash with bumps that are initially filled with fluid before it scabs over. The symptoms could be confused with those of chicken pox or a sexually transmitted disease such as syphilis or herpes.

There are 605 cases of monkeypox this year in the United States as of Wednesday afternoon, including 23 in Texas, according to the CDC.