Possible NYC monkeypox case reported, with patient isolation and contact tracing initiated | National

By Willie S. Morrissey Last updated Jun 16, 2022

NEW YORK — An unidentified New York City patient has tested positive for a virus that includes monkeypox, with the federal Centers for Disease Control investigating whether the rare disease is actually present, city health officials said.

The patient was ordered to self-isolate as authorities treated the case as a presumptive positive case awaiting confirmation, according to the city’s health department. A second suspected case was found to be negative after testing, authorities said.

The infected patient tested positive for Orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses that includes monkeypox. The virus originates from wild animals, including rodents and primates, but can sometimes be transmitted to humans, with most of these cases located in central and western Africa.

The first known human infection dates back to 1970 when a 9-year-old boy in a remote region of Congo was diagnosed.

City health officials said the virus can be spread through close contact with an infected human or animal, usually via respiratory droplets, bodily fluids or clothing shared by someone with the disease.

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