Tags: Disease.
The 2003 Midwest monkeypox outbreak marked the first time monkeypox infection has appeared in the United States and the first time in the Western Hemisphere. Beginning in May 2003 a total of 71 cases of human monkeypox were found in five 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 Gambian rats imported into the United States by an exotic animal importer in Texas.
