Oneida County reported its first case of monkeypox on Monday, making it one of now 27 counties outside of New York City with cases of the virus, according to data from the New York State Department of Health.
The first case in the state was diagnosed in New York City in May.
Onondaga County reported one case in August and hasn’t had any others since. Delaware County also had one case which was reported in August as well.
There were more than 3,500 cases in New York City as of Monday, which is more than 10 times the number of cases than in the rest of the state combined.
According to the state department of health, monkeypox is a viral infection that does not usually cause serious illness. However, in rare cases, it can lead to hospitalization or death. Symptoms include rashes, bumps or blisters and flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and chills.=
Monkeypox can be spread to others through physical contact, especially if the sores are open.
“Monkeypox is spread through close physical contact with somebody who has symptoms and through respiratory droplets through prolonged period of time. This does not spread quickly or as easily as Covid,” said Katie Mungari, Oneida County’s deputy health director.
Mungari says the risk to the general public is slim.
“Anyone that is at risk as been notified, that is not something the general population has to worry about right now. It is an isolated case. We are not concerned about spread or risk to the population right now,” she added.
The state has been shipping monkeypox vaccines to affected areas to administer to those at higher risk of contracting the virus. The county is still waiting on information from the state on vaccine availability.