DALLAS — Dallas County is reporting the first case of monkeypox that has been transmitted locally.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services said it has confirmed a case of monkeypox in an out-of-state visitor who was in town for the Daddyland Festival over the Fourth of July weekend.
According to officials, the person reported attendance at the festival and other private parties. The visitor went to a Dallas hospital with a rash and was diagnosed with the virus through lab testing.
"Given the size of the Daddyland Festival, others who attended the events could have been exposed to monkeypox and, possibly, infected," the department said in a press release.
The festival included events such as dance parties, pool parties and nightclub events, which pose a high risk of transmission, the department said.
Dallas County had previously reported four monkeypox cases among residents. All four cases were reported by self-identified men who had sex with other men. The department said monkeypox can impact anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, and can spread through contact with bodily fluids, monkeypox sores and shared items that are contaminated with fluids or sores of a person with monkeypox.
Monkeypox symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes and general body aches before developing a rash.
