NEW JERSEY – The first probable case of monkeypox in the state of New Jersey has been confirmed today by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH).
On June 18, a north Jersey resident completed a PCR test conducted by the Department’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratories confirming the presence of orthopoxvirus. The monkeypox virus is one of the viruses associated with the orthopoxvirus genus, officials said.
A confirmatory test for the monkeypox virus will be done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At this time, the Department of Health believes that the risk to New Jerseyans remains low.
According to the NJDOH, the individual is isolating at home. Contact tracing is currently being performed by a local health department in order to identify anyone who may have been exposed.
Officials have said that no additional information related to the case will be released due to patient confidentiality.
NJDOH has stated that most New Jersey residents are not at risk of infection with monkeypox.
“Monkeypox is rare but can spread through close prolonged contact with an infected person or animal. This might include coming into contact with skin lesions, or body fluids, sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by someone who is infectious, or inhaling respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact,” NJDOH said in a statement.
Currently, confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases have been reported in 20 states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC.
The CDC states that monkeypox symptoms are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. They begin with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion 7 to 14 days after infection.
Those who experience flu-like illness with swelling of lymph nodes and rash occurring on the face and body should contact their healthcare provider.
For more information about monkeypox, visit cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html.
