A U.S. tourist who tested positive for monkeypox first fled the Puerto Vallarta hospital where he was instructed to isolate and undergo more tests, and then quickly hurried out of the country, according to reports.
The 48-year-old Texas man presented symptoms such as cough, chills, muscle pain and pustule-like lesions on his face, neck and trunk.
“He went to a private hospital in Puerto Vallarta and upon suspicion of this disease, he was instructed to take samples and isolate himself, which he refused and left (he actually fled) the unit,” according to a Jalisco Ministry of Health press release. Attempts to communicate with him went for naught, the agency added.
“According to information from the place where the couple was staying, it was reported that they were seen leaving with suitcases on June 4; however, since the patient had a scheduled flight from Puerto Vallarta to Dallas on June 6, [health officials] informed the National Immigration Institute and the airlines about the patient’s situation so that he would not be allowed to enter or board the aircraft,” the agency added.
In Jalisco, we have strengthened surveillance to detect monkeypox cases on time and help provide timely attention. For further information please contact our Call Center at 33-3823-3220 pic.twitter.com/RucSSQKc1M
— Secretaría de Salud Jalisco (@saludjalisco) June 8, 2022
It has now been determined, with assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, that the patient and his partner flew to the United States on June 4, El Universal reported. On June 7, the Ministry of Health’s National Liaison Center reported that the man’s test for monkeypox turned out to be positive, and the only thing the agency was awaiting at that point was confirmation from the CDC. His case was the first to be confirmed in Jalisco, according to reports.
During his stay in Puerto Vallarta, the patient reportedly was present at various parties and gatherings, some of them held in a hotel. In a tweet, the Jalisco Ministry of Health put out a call to people who attended parties at the Mantamar Beach Club in the period from May 27 to June 4, 2022, and present symptoms such as headache, high fever at 38.5 C, swollen glands, generalized muscle pain, visible skin eruptions in various parts of the body such as pustules. Anyone exhibiting such symptoms was urged to seek immediate medical attention.
According to several news reports, the infected individual was in Berlin, Germany, from May 12 to 16 before traveling to Puerto Vallarta.
With reports from El Universal and Reforma
