New York City Health Department treats possible monkeypox cases as presumed positives and awaits confirmation of CDC

new york -New York City Health Department is treating Potential cases of monkeypox under investigation As a presumed positive.

The Ministry of Health said Friday evening that samples from two patients investigating the possibility of monkeypox were tested.

One case was excluded.

Another case has been identified as positive for Orthopox virus, a family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs. The Ministry of Health treats this case as a presumed positive until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts tests to confirm the results.

Patients are isolated and the health department is performing contact tracing.

Possible cases are Cases confirmed in Massachusetts this week..

Health officials are closely watching patients at Bellevue Hospital, as reported by Elijah Westbrook of CBS2.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that health officials say begins with flu-like symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes and causes a rash that looks like chickenpox.

“The rash is mostly characteristic,” said Dr. Wald Javid, a hospital epidemiologist in downtown Mount Sinai and responsible for infection prevention and control.

Javaid added, “People may have a fever for a day or two before the onset of a rash, and then overall general malaise, body aches, and weakness.”

It is a virus derived from wild animals such as rodents and can rarely spread to humans.

“I wasn’t really looking forward to the new things I was worried about after two years of a pandemic,” said John Muchoro, a Manhattan resident, but this is the first time I’ve actually heard of it.

According to experts, monkeypox can spread among people through contact with or physical contact with contaminated items such as clothing, bedding, saliva, and respiratory droplets.

“Usually, infections are transmitted from person to person, but they are transmitted by people who are ill and have open wounds and who come into contact with them,” said pediatrician Dr. Juan Tapia, along with Somos Community Care. I told Jenna de Angelis.

Tapia says it’s quite different from COVID-19.

“It’s good that the virus isn’t very contagious. It doesn’t cause serious illness in most people, and the treatment is just supportive,” he said.

May be the first time to hear about Monkeypox For many, experts say it’s rare in the United States and is usually found in Africa.

Dr. Erica Shenoy of Massachusetts General Hospital said, “Most cases have actually been reported from West Africa, Central Africa and Central Africa. Cases outside the region have been reported to be related to travel and animals. I have. ” ..

The CDC states that it is currently monitoring cases worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain. Human-to-human transmission is not common, but in the United Kingdom, scientists see evidence that it is widespread throughout the community in cases with sexual contact.

The World Health Organization is tracking 80 confirmed cases worldwide and states that an additional 50 cases are under investigation. I hope more cases will surface. The disease is usually reported from 11 countries that do not have it.

According to WHO, monkeypox can be fatal in 1 in 10 people. Doctors say most patients recover in just a few weeks and the CDC prepares for other potential cases, but don’t panic.

“We need to be more worried about the flu. We want everyone to be vaccinated against the flu, but not the coronavirus,” says Tapia.

Health officials say a Massachusetts man has recovered and is in good shape after a positive monkeypox test after a trip to Canada. Canadian health authorities have confirmed two cases there.

“It’s rare for the world to see so many cases reported in different countries outside Africa,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, director of public health in Canada.

The disease comes from the same virus as smallpox. According to the World Health Organization, most people recover within a few weeks, but the disease is fatal in 1 in 10 people.

The New Yorkers Westbrooks said they weren’t too worried.

“Try to protect yourself, stay away, and do whatever you need to do,” said Kathleen Cadogan, who lives in Manhattan.

“Obviously, they did a great job at COVID, so I think New York will do a great job. I’m not worried at all,” said one.

Patients being treated at Bellevue Hospital are undergoing additional tests. His results will be sent to the lab where the CDC is expected to investigate further.