NewsDesk @bactiman63

In a follow-up from Houston, Texas, the Houston Health Department Friday announced a confirmed second monkeypox infection in a Houston resident with recent international travel.

There is no known connection between this and the previously reported resident.

The threat of monkeypox to Houston remains low. Monkeypox is rare and doesn’t spread easily between people without close, personal, skin-to-skin contact.

The department’s lab conducted orthopoxvirus testing and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided confirmatory testing results.

The resident developed symptoms after returning from travel and is experiencing a mild illness. The resident did not require hospitalization and is isolating at home. Privacy laws prohibit the department from disclosing personal information or further details.

Epidemiologists with the department will reach out to people who had direct close contact with the resident while infectious.