City patient may have monkeypox, isolated as officials track contacts
New York City’s health department is investigating a possible case of monkeypox, a rare flu-like virus that does not usually spread easily among people.
“The patient is in an isolation ward at Bellevue Hospital,” said Manhattan Borough President
Mark Levine in a tweet Thursday evening. “Health Dept following up with anyone who may have been in contact w/ patient.”
According to health department officials, the city’s public health lab will conduct preliminary tests, which — if positive — will be sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control for confirmatory tests.
The New York City alert came a day after a rare case of monkeypox was detected in a man who recently traveled to Canada. Health officials are looking into whether that case is connected to small outbreaks in Europe.
Monkeypox is typically limited to Africa, and rare cases in the U.S. and elsewhere are usually linked to travel there, health officials said.
A small number of confirmed or suspected cases have been reported this month in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. Last year, Texas and Maryland each reported a case in people who traveled to Nigeria.
Monkeypox (photo) typically begins with a flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face and body. In Africa, people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, and it does not usually spread easily among people.
But investigators in Europe said most of the cases have been in gay or bisexual men, and officials are looking into the possibility that some infections were spread through close contact during sex.
Monkeypox comes from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease is fatal for up to 1 in 10 people, according to the World Health Organization.
Officials stressed that monkeypox is different from the coronavirus, and does not spread easily. They said said monkeypox is highly visible, making contact-tracing and isolation easier.