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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Public Health Department is investigating a possible case of monkeypox virus infection in the Nashville area.

Metro Health reported Thursday that testing confirmed an orthopoxvirus infection in Davidson County, with confirmatory testing to be done at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) The case is an individual who recently traveled to a country which has reported monkeypox cases, according to a release.

The Nashville health department is reportedly working with the patient and the patient’s health care providers to identify individuals who may have been in contact with them while they were infectious. Metro Health said the individual was not hospitalized, is currently isolated and is recovering at home.

According to the CDC, monkeypox is a rare disease in the same family of viruses as smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder; and monkeypox is rarely fatal. The CDC states that the monkeypox virus can spread from person-to-person through:

  • direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids
  • respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact
  • touching items like clothing or linens that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids

Click here for more information specific to the monkeypox virus in Tennessee.