New York state health officials said late Friday a New York City resident had tested positive for the virus that causes monkeypox, according to the AP.
Why it matters: It is the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the state since several countries recently reported infections with the virus, which had previously been rare outside of west and central African countries.
- It is also the second confirmed monkeypox infection in the US this year, as Massachusetts reported the first on Wednesday.
The unknown patient being treated and isolated while the state determines how the person became infected and reaches out to people who the AP says may have been in contact with the person.
The big picture: Numerous other countries have reported multiple confirmed and possible cases this week, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, Italy, London and Northern Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
- Related to smallpox, there are two main types of monkeypox: the West African group, with a mortality rate of about 1%, and the Congo Basin (Central Africa) group, with a mortality rate of about 10%, reports Eileen Drage O’Reilly of Axios.
- The strain of virus currently circulating appears to be the milder West African type, which often begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes and progresses to a blistering rash.
- Smallpox vaccine is believed to be effective against monkeypox.
The CDC issued a warning on Friday that doctors and state health officials in the US should be on the lookout for possible cases, particularly the characteristic rash associated with the virus.
go deeper: What we know about the new monkeypox outbreak