Photo credit: Fresh Idea
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Public Health Lab has tested specimens from two patients under investigation for possible Monkeypox. One case has been ruled out and another has been identified as positive for Orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which Monkeypox belongs. Confirmation for Monkeypox is pending CDC testing.
The patient is isolating, and – treating this case as a presumptive positive until confirmed – the Health Department is carrying out contact tracing.
Masks can protect against Monkeypox and other viruses circulating in New York City, such as COVID-19. The Department continues to recommend masks in public indoor settings. As a precaution, any New Yorkers who experience a flu-like illness with swelling of the lymph nodes and rashes on the face and body should contact their healthcare provider.
Monkeypox is rare but can spread through close contact with an infected person or animal. This includes via respiratory droplets – usually after prolonged contact — body fluids, or other forms of close contact, such as sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by someone who is infectious.
According to the CDC, Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for Monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days.
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