Orange County Reports 1st Monkeypox Case

GOSHEN, NY — The first case of monkeypox in Orange County has officially been identified.

Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman made the announcement of the confirmation Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, there have been at least 756 confirmed cases of monkeypox in New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 711 in New York City and 18 in Westchester, nine in Suffolk, four in Nassau, four in Monroe, two in Erie, one in Sullivan, one in Chemung, one in Rockland, one in St. Lawrence, one in Tompkins, one in Albany, one in Orange and one in Greene counties.

"Orange County has demonstrated our ability to respond to the spread of communicable disease in the past," Gelman said. "We continue to be in contact with the state Department of Health to ensure we have the resources to protect our residents."

Additional information on the symptoms of monkeypox, how the infection spreads, strategies to avoid exposure and steps to take if an infection may have occurred can be found on the state Health Department website.