New York City health officials announced on Friday that a patient tested positive for a family of viruses that monkeypox belongs to. However, it was still unclear if the patient in question was infected with the rare disease.
The City’s health department had been investigating two patients for possibly carrying the virus, which has been spreading around the western world “within sexual networks”, according to health officials.
One possible case of monkeypox in the city was ruled out, while the other patient tested positive for “Orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs,” the health department said in a statement.
The patient was isolated and presumed to be positive for monkeypox while the CDC determines if the person does indeed have the virus. In the meantime, local health officials are carrying out contact tracing.
Health officials said the wearing of masks was proven to be effective at preventing monkeypox from spreading. The virus produces skin lesions and leaves patients with flu symptoms.
“As a precaution, any New Yorkers who experience flu-like illness with swelling of the lymph nodes and rashes on the face and body should contact their health care provider,” New York City health officials wrote in a press release.
“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.”
On Friday, WHO called an emergency meeting after more than 100 confirmed or suspected cases were identified in Europe, along with cases in Canada and Australia. The virus, which was first identified in monkeys and rarely spreads outside of Africa, has made the latest rash of cases alarming to health officials.
The first person to test positive for the virus was a man who had returned from Nigeria to the United Kingdom. Health officials in England and Portugal have said most patients in their countries are men who have sex with other men.
The cluster of cases was classified as an epidemic, according to Dr. Fabian Leendertz, a Robert Koch Institute epidemiologist.
“However, it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long. The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary,” he said.
