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By Martin Wilbur
The slow spread of monkeypox in the region continued as Putnam County reported its first case of the virus Thursday morning.
Putnam County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael J. Nesheiwat said communicable disease staff at the county health department have completed their investigation. He said the likelihood of infection is low and cautioned the public on how best to avoid the virus.
It is contracted mainly through skin-to-skin contact.
“The risk of contracting the disease for the general public remains low,” Neshiewat said. “Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that can cause severe illness, hospitalization, and, rarely, death. The virus is most often spread through direct contact with a rash or sores on an individual who has the virus. It can also spread through contact with clothing, bedding, and other items used by a person with monkeypox or from respiratory droplets that can be passed through close contact. Transmission can occur during sex or other close physical contact.”
Symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, but many people who get monkeypox get an itchy, burning rash that resembles blisters or pimples. Many of those with the virus have the rash on the genitals or in the perirectal area, infectious disease specialist Dr. Jason Zucker of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center said last week in a briefing attended by The Examiner.
New York State reported on Wednesday that there have been 2,132 monkeypox cases in the state since the outbreak surfaced in June. Of those, 1,989 have been in New York City. Outside of the city, 19 counties in the state have now reported at least one case, with Westchester leading with 53 infections.
Elsewhere in the Mid-Hudson region, there have now been 29 confirmed cases in Suffolk County, 16 in Nassau, six in Orange, five in Dutchess, and four in Rockland, in addition to the newly-reported Putnam case.
Nesheiwat said if you have come into contact with someone who has the disease, contact your health care provider. Jurisdictions are allocated monkeypox vaccine doses based on need by the state Department of Health. At this time, Putnam has not been allocated any vaccine from the state; however, Putnam residents who are considered at-risk for monkeypox are eligible for vaccination at sites nearby in Westchester County.
If any eligible resident encounters difficulty acquiring a monkeypox vaccine appointment, they should call the Putnam County Department of Health at 845-808-1390.
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