First ‘Confirmed’ Monkeypox Case in NJ? Here’s What We Know

TRENTON – New Jersey has its first "probable" case of monkeypox, state health officials announced Monday.

The patient has been isolating at home since a PCR test result was returned on June 18, according to the Department of Health.

Jersey City health officials separately confirmed the case with a statement on Twitter, although the state Health Department has not yet confirmed while it awaits testing by the CDC.

They added that they were working alongside the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the presence of the rare virus that has been spreading in the U.S. and around the world.

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Since New York’s first confirmed case in May, that state has identified a total of 25 confirmed monkeypox cases as of June 17 — 23 in New York City, one in Sullivan County and one in Westchester County.

Risk to New Jerseyans remains low, according to state health officials on Monday, as monkeypox is rare but can spread through close prolonged contact with an infected person or animal.

In humans, monkeypox symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion 7−14 days after infection, according to the CDC.

As a precaution, any New Jersey residents who experience flu-like illness with swelling of lymph nodes and rash occurring on the face and body should contact their healthcare provider.

Exposure includes contact with skin lesions, or body fluids, sharing clothes or other materials that have been used by someone who is infectious, or inhaling respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact.

A U.S. resident tested positive for monkeypox on May 18 after returning to the U.S. from Canada.

Since then, there have been monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases reported in 20 states and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC.