| 2003 Midwest monkeypox outbreak | |
|---|---|
 The outbreak included Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, and Missouri as well as an additional case in the eastern state of New Jersey. | |
| Disease | Monkeypox |
| Virus strain | "West African clade"[1] |
| Source | African rodents (Gambian pouched rat, dormice, rope squirrels) housed with prairie dogs |
| Location | Midwestern United States |
| Index case | May 15, 2003 |
| Confirmed cases | 71 |
| Recovered | 71 |
Deaths | 0 |
| Fatality rate | 0% |
An outbreak of human monkeypox (now known as mpox) began in May 2003 in the United States. By July, a total of 71 cases were found in six Midwestern states including Wisconsin (39 cases), Indiana (16), Illinois (12), Kansas (1), Missouri (2), and Ohio (1). The cause of the outbreak was traced to three species of African rodents (Gambian pouched rat, dormice, rope squirrels) imported from Ghana on April 9, 2003, into the United States by an exotic animal importer in Texas. These were shipped from Texas to an Illinois distributor, who housed them with prairie dogs, which then became infected.
The outbreak marked the first time monkeypox infection appeared in the Western Hemisphere. No deaths were reported, and no human-to-human transmission was found. All cases involved direct contact with infected prairie dogs. Electron microscopy and testing by polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm the causative agent was human monkeypox.[2][3]
- ^ Osorio, J.E.; Yuill, T.M. (2008). "Zoonoses". Encyclopedia of Virology. pp. 485–495. doi:10.1016/B978-012374410-4.00536-7. ISBN 9780123744104. S2CID 214756407.
- ^ "Medscape Monkeypox Review". Bcbsma.medscape.com. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2003-07-11). "Update: multistate outbreak of monkeypox--Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, 2003". MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 52 (27): 642–646. ISSN 0149-2195. PMID 12855947.Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Atlanta, Georgia. (MMWR) July 11, 2003. (52) 27; 642-646.