There are now 4 presumptive cases of monkeypox in New York City, health officials say
NEW YORK - Two more presumptive cases of the monkeypox virus have been discovered in New York City.
That brings the total to four - the most in the country.
As CBS2's Lisa Rozner reports, this comes as the World Health Organization addressed the rising number of cases.
Medical staff at an urgent care on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen are on alert for any symptoms. There was a recently a false alarm.
"We've seen a patient a week or 10 days ago who presented with monkeypox-like symptoms, with flu-like symptoms and rash," said Dr. Vino Palli, CEO, Mi Doctor Urgent Care. "We use the swab and we scrape the skin lesions and put it in a test tube and send it to a lab."
Monkeypox is most commonly found in Africa and spread through skin-to-skin contact. The CDC says cases elsewhere are usually linked to international travel or imported animals.
Dr. Palli believes it's only a matter of time until he sees someone who has it.
"Remember the incubation period for this virus is within 7-21 days. It's going to take some time for the rash to develop, and cases to be seen," Palli said.
The World Health Organization Wednesday said in the last few days, globally, cases jumped from a little more than 250 to 550. It presumes many cases are spreading undetected.
"The fact that this virus has appeared in Europe in a large number of cases, and increasing number of cases, is clearly a cause for concern, and it does suggest there may have been undetected transmission for a while," said Dr. Rosmund Lewis of the World Health Organization.
Dr. Bruce Y. Lee with the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health says the CDC does have vaccines for people who may have been exposed. The virus was first found in humans in the 1970s.
"It's not the same thing as a coronavirus. This requires close contact to spread, so it's not as contagious," he said. "The reason why specifically for monkeypox there haven't been recommendations for mask requirements because this virus doesn't tend to aerosolize."
A spokesperson for the city's health department would only tell Rozner the four people diagnosed with monkeypox are isolating, but would not say whether they are hospitalized. The spokesperson said anyone who is feeling unwell needs to see a doctor for an evaluation.
The World Health Organization says since cases began rising in May, no one has died.
New Yorkers who believe they're experiencing monkeypox symptoms and do not have a primary care physician can call 844-NYC-4NYC.
