NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Monkeypox has been detected in a child for the first time in New York City, according to city health officials, making it the second juvenile case reported so far in the state this week.
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"There is a juvenile case of MPV (or monkeypox) in New York City," said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan on Friday. "While we understand the concerns of families, we also know that the overall risk of exposure for children in the city remains very low."
The case is believed to have been linked to a household contact, though no additional information was provided.
It comes as Vasan and health officials have noted a drop in recent monkeypox cases, with 2,888 monkeypox cases having been identified in the city since the first the city's first case was identified in May.
According to city data, there were roughly 50 new cases of monkeypox reported daily in mid-August, down from around 70 reported daily in late July and earlier this month.
Anyone can get monkeypox, but public health officials have identified men who have sex with other men to be at the highest risk of contracting the virus and encouraged them to get vaccinated.
The U.S. has the most monkeypox infections of any country during the current outbreak — more than 16,000. About 98% of U.S. cases are men and about 93% were men who reported recent sexual contact with other men. No one in the U.S. has died, but deaths have been reported in other countries.
The Biden administration says it has shipped enough monkeypox vaccine to deliver the first of two doses to all of the 1.6 million people identified to be at highest risk of infection from the virus.
Earlier this month health officials authorized a plan to allow injection of smaller doses of the vaccine into the skin instead of into muscle, which has helped stretch supplies. With the help of that new method, which requires about one-fifth the usual dose, the administration says it has now shipped enough vaccine for at least 1.6 million doses.
The administration also has 300,000 vials ready to ship as needed — enough for 1.5 million doses. Another 150,000 vials are expected to be delivered by the manufacturer by the end of September, with more to follow in subsequent months.
According to the administration, only 14 jurisdictions of 67 have used enough vaccine to request more from the federal stockpile.
Due to the limited supply of vaccines, the health department noted Friday that vaccines are available only to eligible New Yorkers, which includes those deemed to be in close contact during an investigation.
Find out if you're eligible for a vaccine and more information here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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