Monkeypox spreads locally for the first time in Dallas during recent Daddyland Festival
Dallas County has confirmed its first locally transmitted case of monkeypox.
Dallas County Health and Human Services, along with Texas’ Department of State Health Services and the CDC, announced the case in a statement released Wednesday.
The case was found in an out-of-state visitor who was in town for the Daddyland Festival, a gathering that ran from June 29 to July 4.
According to the DCHHS release, the visitor went to a Dallas hospital with a rash and was diagnosed through laboratory testing.
Dallas County health officials said others who attended the festival events may have been exposed to monkeypox, and “possibly infected,” according to the release.
The infected person told officials he attended multiple Daddyland Festival events and private parties while infectious. The festival, attended primarily by gay men, included dance parties with DJs, pool parties and nightclub events.
Tarrant County has not reported any monkeypox cases.
Health officials are concerned that more cases could result from the large gatherings.
Four monkeypox cases had previously been reported among Dallas County residents.
Each of those four local residents “self-identified as men who have sex with other men and reported a history of international travel,” according to Dallas County.
Anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, can spread monkeypox, through contact with body fluids, sores or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids or sores of a person with monkeypox, according to health officials.
Monkeypox virus can also spread between people through respiratory droplets typically in a close setting, such as people living in the same household or in a healthcare setting. Persons with monkeypox may develop symptoms such as a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and general body aches before developing a rash. Common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus.
Dallas health officials said anyone who attended the Daddyland Festival parties, people who use social media applications to find sex partners, and those who have had skin-to-skin contact with people with sores or other symptoms of monkeypox, should be aware of their risk and seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of monkeypox.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Monkeypox spreads locally for the first time in Dallas during recent Daddyland Festival."
