As 5th presumptive case of monkeypox is investigated in NYC, here's more information about how it's transmitted
NEW YORK - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says as of Friday, there are 20 cases of monkeypox in nearly a dozen U.S. states.
Right here in New York City, there are five presumed cases.
Health officials maintain the risk level is low, but they don't want to minimize what's going on.
Monkeypox symptoms may be more subtle than a rash and lesions.
"They may not immediately think 'Oh, this could be monkeypox.' They might even think it's some kind of insect bite," said Dr. Anna Bershteyn.
Bershteyn is an assistant professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She says there may not even be anything to see at first.
"Fever, malaise. Really flu-like symptoms. And then it progresses to something more distinctive, which are these blisters around the body," she said.
In an update Friday, the CDC said globally there's been more than 700 reported cases. In the United States, 20 cases have been identified in 11 states.
The CDC also detailed the timeline of the outbreak in the U.S., noting the first few people diagnosed had just traveled internationally. A CDC official said on May 4, a New York City man sought treatment for a lesion in the mouth and a painful rash that developed into blister-like sores.
New York City now has five presumed cases.
The CDC says monkeypox can spread person-to-person through physical contact, touching contaminated items like clothing or bedding, saliva, and respiratory droplets.
"It really has nothing to do with sexual orientation, or sexual activities specifically, other than the fact that when you're touching the skin of someone else anywhere on the body, and that's where the rash is, then the possibility for transmitting the disease exists," said Dr., Susannah Hills of Columbia University.
"We're still hearing more cases – should the public be concerned?" CBS2's Alice Gainer asked.
"The spread is probably wider than we think. We're probably seeing the tip of the iceberg, but it's not a public health threat the way COVID-19 is," Bershteyn said.
The CDC says so far there have been no deaths, and currently all patients are in recovery, or have already recovered.
This latest possible case in New York City comes just a couple of weeks after the city's Health Department investigated its first case.
Officials say they're conducting contact tracing and are closely monitoring those who are symptomatic.
New Yorkers who believe they're experiencing monkeypox symptoms and do not have a primary care physician can call 844-NYC-4NYC.
