According to the New Jersey Department of Health, the first probable case of the virus was confirmed following a test on Saturday.
According to the city’s official social media account, the monkeypox sample was collected in Jersey City and processed at a public health laboratory.
It will be forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States for verification.
The new case brings the total number of confirmed cases in the United States to 114 in 22 states, including the District of Columbia.
The city’s Instagram account announced, ‘The NJ Health Dept has confirmed the first case of monkey pox in Jersey City.’ Our health officials are collaborating with the CDC.’
The state health department provided additional information, confirming that the individual had been ordered to isolate at home.
‘The local health department is conducting contact tracing to identify any individuals who may have been exposed to the individual,’ according to the statement.
‘Most New Jersey residents are not at risk of monkeypox infection,’ according to the statement.
It stated that no additional information would be released due to patient confidentiality.
If confirmed, this will be New Jersey’s first case of monkeypox, putting it far behind California and New York, which have 24 and 21 cases, respectively.
Illinois (15) and Florida (10) are also in double digits for the disease, which is spread through physical contact with symptomatic patients and by touching their clothing and bedding, according to CDC officials.
The CDC reports 2,525 total cases across 37 countries, with the United Kingdom leading the way with 574 confirmed cases and Spain coming in second with 497.
According to medical literature, people infected with monkeypox experience flu-like symptoms within the first 21 days of infection, followed by a rash that appears on the face before spreading to the rest of the body.
However, in the current outbreak, patients are more likely to notice rashes on their genital areas before experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said: ‘The disease is not spread through casual conversations, passing others in a grocery store, or touching things like door-knobs,’ she said.
‘All of the case we have seen to date in this outbreak have been related to direct contact.’
In an attempt to clarify whether face masks are required to avoid contracting the rash-causing virus, the epidemiologist stated that the virus would not ‘linger in the air’ like Covid.
During the conference, health officials also urged Americans who have any sexually transmitted infection, such as syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia, to get tested for monkeypox.
They warned that many patients were developing rashes and sores on their genitals and anus that resembled STIs. Several cases of co-infection with monkeypox and a sexually transmitted disease have also been recorded.
Health officials also revealed that they had distributed more than 1,400 anti-virus vaccines to states from a stockpile of over a million doses. Another 300,000 doses should arrive in the coming weeks.
However, some experts have expressed concern that the country may not have enough vaccines to cover the entire country if the outbreak spreads.
Currently, three out of every four cases are linked to international travel, including trips to Europe, while others are linked to someone who has had close contact with a known case.
However,’several’ patients from multiple states have tested positive despite not having recently traveled or had contact with a known case.
Dr Jennifer McQuiston, who is leading the CDC’s response to the outbreak, stated that the infection was most likely acquired from someone who had recently traveled, but that the first case had yet to be identified.
She added: ‘I can tell you that right now we don’t have an area that seems to be having an urban outbreak. There is no single area that appears to have a high level of community transmission.
‘However, this could change. We need to increase our testing and be ready to catch it when it happens.’