Monkeypox: First case detected in Georgia; CDC confirms 31 cases across 12 states, DC

ATLANTA — A suspected case of monkeypox in the metro Atlanta area was confirmed Monday as the state’s first diagnosed case of the virus, WSB-TV reported.

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According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the state’s lone case was diagnosed in a man with a history of international travel, the TV station reported.

The Georgia case brings the nationwide total to 31 monkeypox cases across 12 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed late Monday.

To date, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington state and Washington, D.C., have each confirmed one monkeypox diagnosis.

Related: Monkeypox: What is it, how dangerous is it, should you be concerned?

Meanwhile, Illinois and Utah have each confirmed two cases; Colorado has confirmed three cases; Florida has confirmed four cases; California has confirmed six cases; and New York has confirmed seven cases, according to the CDC.

In addition to fever, headache, back pain, muscle aches and low energy, monkeypox can also cause a rash and lesions on the face or genitals, WSB reported.

Internationally, there have been more than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox across 30 countries, the World Health Organization told CNN.

>> Related: Monkeypox: CDC upgrades travel alert due to spike in global cases

Monkeypox is a viral disease that was first discovered in 1958 in monkeys kept for research, according to the CDC. The first recorded human case of monkeypox was in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Historically, the disease has been deadly in 10% of people infected.

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