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A United States citizen from Dallas, Texas who visited Puerto Vallarta on vacation, is the first confirmed case of Monkeypox in the state of Jalisco.

Based on the man’s activities while in Puerto Vallarta, Mexican health authorities are asking anyone who attended events at Mantamar Beach Club between May 27 and June 4 to monitor for symptoms of the virus.

“The SSC urges the population that attended parties at the Mantamar Beach Club between May 27 and June 4 of this year to monitor their health and see a doctor if they present symptoms such as headache, high fever at 38.5 C, swollen glands, muscle pain, general malaise and/or pustules on the body,” said a news release from the State Health Secretariat.

Monkeypox does not spread easily in society. The likelihood of spread to the general population is low and most current cases have mild symptoms.

The CDC website says, “Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets generally cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is required. Other human-to-human methods of transmission include direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.” 

While this disease is not a sexually transmitted infection, it is likely to be spread by close contact, and therefore particularly during sexual activities, with infectious material from skin lesions of an infected person, or by respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact and through infected surfaces. The risk of transmission can therefore be considered high among people with several sexual partners, and therefore including some MSM, who are therefore exposed to this infection.

The 48-year-old man, originally a resident of Dallas, Texas, United States, visited Puerto Vallarta on vacation and was accompanied by his partner. He started showing symptoms on May 30, which includes cough, chills, muscle pain and pustule-like lesions on the face, neck and trunk.

Before arriving to Puerto Vallarta, the person traveled to Berlin, Germany, from May 12 to 16 and then returned to Dallas on May 16. On May 27 he arrived in Puerto Vallarta on vacation.

The State Health Secretariat released the information, and indicated that it was on June 4, when it officially received the notification from the National Center for International Liaison (CNEI) of the General Directorate of Epidemiology (DGE), of a suspected case.

On June 3, the man had contacted a doctor in Texas to report his situation, who recommended that he go for medical attention and reported the suspected case to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US and the latter to the CNEI in Mexico.

In addition, the patient went to a private hospital in Puerto Vallarta, due to the suspicion of this disease. He was instructed to take samples and isolate himself, which he refused and left the hospital.

After being notified by the SSJ, the case was followed up immediately and in a coordinated manner on June 4 personnel from Sanitary Region VIII Puerto Vallarta, were not able to located the man or his partner.

According to information from the place where he was staying, it was reported that he and his partner were seen leaving with suitcases on June 4; he was not scheduled to return to Dallas until June 6.

The International Health area of ​​Puerto Vallarta informed the National Migration Institute and the Airlines of the patient’s situation so that he was not allowed to enter or board the aircraft, as well as his immediate notification to International Health.

On June 6, the CDC notified the CNEI that the patient traveled to the US on June 4 without specifying airline, flight or time. On June 7 notification was received by the CNEI reporting the positive PCR test for Orthopoxvirus DNA ( non-variola), only awaiting confirmation by CDC laboratories.

The concern of the Ministry of Health is that the patient during his stay in Puerto Vallarta was present at various celebrations, some of them held in a hotel in the port.

Due to the above, it began with the reinforcement of epidemiological surveillance in health units, search for risk contacts and recommendations to the population.

Another suspected case of Monkey Pox has been reported in Mexico City, from a 50-year-old-man who had traveled there from the Netherlands. He is a resident of New York City.