HELENA - State health officials report the monkeypox virus has arrived in Montana.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Flathead City-County Health Department today confirmed a single presumptive case of monkeypox virus infection in a Flathead County adult.

DPHHS officials state in a news release the department "is working closely with local public health and the patient’s health care provider to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient while they were infectious.".

The virus does not easily spread between people with casual contact, but transmission can occur through contact with infectious sores and body fluids; contaminated items, such as clothing or bedding; or through respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact.

But because monkeypox and smallpox viruses are closely related, antiviral drugs (such as tecovirimat) and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat monkeypox virus infections.

DPHHS has also launched a new monkeypox website at monkeypox (mt.gov)