New York Monkeypox Cases Up 34% – NBC New York

There are another 33 cases of monkeypox in the other New York counties, with Westchester now home to the second highest number, with 16 confirmed cases. The vaccination plan is also underway there, with several hospitals and community health centers administering 450 doses of vaccines. Another 520 will be available starting July 18, by appointment only at the Count Health Clinic on Court Street.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that another 32,000 doses from the federal government will be shipped to New York and the city beginning next week.

At this time, eligibility in New York City is limited to “gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men and transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender non-binary persons age 18 or older who have had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the past 14 days,” according to guidelines released by the health department. Lee more here.

While monkeypox is highly contagious and generally confined to the African continent, health officials say the risk to the general US public is low. They say this is not COVID again because there are already vaccines to treat orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which monkeypox and diseases like smallpox and chickenpox belong.

The city is also rolling out more active messaging, saying people can now receive text alerts about the virus and new open appointments by texting MONKEYPOX to 692692, or MONKEYPOXESP for alerts in Spanish.

Getting a first dose has been difficult, with only a few thousand appointments opening in the past few weeks. And the portal used to make the appointments hasn’t been working exactly as officials had hoped.

Last Tuesday, appointments sold out almost immediately after a wave of bugs left many people unable to access the booking website. The city’s Health Department said the scheduling site stopped working “due to high traffic,” a problem many hope will be fixed in time for Friday’s launch.

That mishap followed what the city said was an “unfortunate glitch” the week before. A mistake on July 6 opened the appointment window prematurely, prompting an avalanche of confusion and an outpouring of apologies from city health officials as they worked to correct the problem.

All 2,500 inadvertently released citations were picked up again extremely quickly, within 10 minutes. The city said the failure was the result of an outside vendor, not the department itself. The department later said it would honor all wrongly booked appointments that same day.

IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS

There is no specific approved treatment for monkeypox. Most people get better on their own without treatment. However, antivirals developed for use in smallpox patients may be of benefit.

If you start experiencing symptoms, talk to your health care provider. If you don’t have a health care provider, call 311. A provider will review your symptoms and may order tests.

A person is contagious until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has formed, which can take two to four weeks.

To protect others while you are sick:

• Avoid having sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been seen by a provider.
• Stay home and separate from other people in your home.
• If you can’t completely separate yourself from others in your home, wear a face mask and avoid physical contact. Wear clothing that covers your injuries when you are in shared spaces.
• If you must leave home for essential needs or medical care, cover your rashes and injuries with clothing and wear a mask.
• Do not share or allow others to touch your clothes, towels, bedding, or utensils. Don’t share a bed.
• Do not share dishes, food, drink or utensils. Wash dishes in warm, soapy water or in a dishwasher.
• Wash your hands and clean shared surfaces, like countertops and doorknobs, often. Household members should also wash their hands frequently, especially if they touch materials or surfaces that may have come into contact with injuries.

¿QUIT IS IS IT MONKEYPOX?

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, when outbreaks occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, giving rise to its name. (What you need to know about monkeypox).

The first human case was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which still has the majority of infections. Other African countries where it has been found: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.

Human symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than smallpox symptoms, the CDC says. It presents as a flu-like illness accompanied by swollen lymph nodes and a rash on the face and body.

Monkeypox begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. Monkeypox also causes the lymph nodes to swell, something that smallpox does not. The incubation period is usually 7 to 14 days, but can range from 5 to 21 days.

Cases reported outside of Africa have generally been linked to international travel or animals that have been imported.

HOW DO YOU GET MONKEYPOX?

The CDC urges healthcare providers in the US to be vigilant for patients who have monkeypox-like rashes, regardless of whether they have traveled or are at specific risk for monkeypox. See more information about the travel advisory here.

The CDC issued new guidance on monkeypox as the number of suspected cases rose across the country, marking the largest monkeypox outbreak in U.S. history, which has generally been confined to other continents.

While the CDC says the risk to the general public remains low, people are urged to avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin or genital lesions, as well as sick or dead animals. Anyone showing symptoms, such as unexplained rashes or lesions, should contact their health care provider for guidance.

It is also advisable to avoid the consumption of meat that comes from wild game or the use of products (such as creams, powders or lotions) that come from wild animals in Africa.

Yolanda Vásquez gives us the latest details.

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