ALBANY, N.Y. (AP/ Reuters) – A New York City resident has tested positive for the virus that causes monkeypox, state health officials announced late Friday.
The unidentified patient is isolating and treating the case as positive while awaiting final confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control.
New York City public health officials said Thursday they were investigating two potential cases of monkeypox, a rare virus rarely seen outside of Africa that can cause flu-like symptoms.
The apparent infection in New York comes as the World Health Organization has identified about 80 cases globally, and roughly 50 more suspected cases. Health officials in Massachusetts confirmed its first case of monkeypox on May 18.
The virus originates in primates and other wild animals, and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients. People with severe cases can develop rash and lesions on the face, hands and other parts of the body.
The World Health Organization was holding an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak.
In what Germany described as the largest outbreak in Europe ever, cases have been reported in at least nine countries – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom - as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.
Spain reported 24 new cases, mainly in the Madrid region where the regional government closed a sauna linked to the majority of infections.
First identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern.
However, scientists do not expect the outbreak to evolve into a pandemic like COVID-19, given the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.
Monkeypox is usually a mild viral illness, characterized by symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive bumpy rash.
The World Health Organization (WHO) committee meeting to discuss the issue is the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential (STAG-IH), which advises on infection risks that could pose a global health threat.
It would not be responsible for deciding whether the outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern, WHO’s highest form of alert, which is currently applied to the COVID-19 pandemic.