New York City Reports First Juvenile Case of Monkeypox

The New York State Department of Health reported its first known case of monkeypox in a child in New York on August 26th. According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the illness was contracted via household contact. The agency did not disclose the age of the child or any other details about the case.

“There is a juvenile case of MPV (or monkeypox) in New York City,” the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said in a statement. “While we understand the concerns of families, we also know that the overall risk of exposure for children in the city remains very low.”

As of August 21, there were 13 cases of monkeypox in children 10 years old and younger nationwide according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors and public health experts state that it is possible for monkeypox to spread in school and daycare settings, but overall children are more likely to become infected through a family member that is also infected. The virus is also much less infectious than coronavirus.

The city has issued guidance to schools with intent to maintain a safe environment for children and assist in identifying the signs and symptoms of the virus.

In New York City there have been more than 2,888 cases of monkeypox and about 50 new cases turning up daily. Cases have been reducing in the past few weeks, mainly due to a vaccine campaign that delivered around 70,000 vaccine doses to sexually active gay and bisexual men, as well as transgender and nonbinary individuals.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/york-reports-1st-case-monkeypox-child/story?id=88644366

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/nyregion/nyc-monkeypox-case-child.html

https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/08/26/nyc-reports-first-juvenile-monkeypox-case