Suspected Monkeypox Patient Being Treated In NYC

NEW YORK CITY – A suspected Monkeypox patient is being treated in a New York City hospital, the city's health department announced Thursday.

The patient is at Bellevue hospital. Tests are still being performed to confirm the diagnosis, but health experts are reaching out to people who may have been in contact with them.

Details of the patient's identity, if they are a resident of the city or how they were potentially exposed have not been released.

Monkeypox, which is usually contained to central and West Africa, is a rare, potentially serious viral illness that usually begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to the rest of the body in a rash, or "pox."

The first U.S. case of Monkeypox this year was reported in Massachusetts on Wednesday, though several other cases have been confirmed internationally, including in Europe.