U.S. health officials are monitoring more than 200 people at risk for the rare disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) They are warning 27 states across the country to contact people infected with an unusual virus called monkeypox.

According to the BBC, they fear that hundreds of travelers may have been in contact with a Texas man who brought the disease from Nigeria earlier this month.

The CDC in Dallas and local health officials said Friday they were investigating the monkey box case for the passenger.

Although it flew during the infection, they did not think anyone else on the plane might have been harmed. However, they are checking, according to CNN.

This is a report from the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services: “That person is a resident of Dallas, who flew from Nigeria to Dallas on July 9, 2021 and arrived at Lovefield Airport.

The CDC said it was working to communicate with passengers and others who had been in contact with the patient during the two flights:

Lagos, Nigeria, will arrive in Atlanta on July 8 and arrive in Atlanta on July 9.

And July 9 from Atlanta to Dallas.

“We work closely with CDC and DSHS (Texas State Department of Health Services) and have conducted patient and close contact interviews,” said DCHHS Director Dr. Philip Huang. .

Experts explain that rodents, including domestic animals, can carry peaks and send them to people.

The virus is a relative of smallpox, but it is less contagious and less dangerous, the news release added.

In 2003, the virus broke out in 47 patients in the United States after small mammals were shipped from Ghana and sold as pets.