What to know
- On Monday, New Jersey health officials announced the first monkeypox-related death in the state.
- The individual, a resident of northern New Jersey, was confirmed to have been diagnosed with monkeypox in mid-September and passed away in October.
- The state Department of Health said the resident had a history of underlying medical conditions.
NEW JERSEY – New Jersey health officials announced on Monday the first monkeypox-related death in the state.
The individual, a resident of northern New Jersey, was confirmed to have been diagnosed with monkeypox in mid-September and passed away in October. The state Department of Health said the resident had a history of underlying medical conditions.
The state has not made any further details available for privacy reasons.
Although cases of monkeypox have declined in recent weeks in New Jersey, health officials point out that it’s important to note that the disease is still around and, in some cases, can cause serious illness or death.
To date, New Jersey reports 751 cases of the disease within the state.
New Jersey’s grim development comes more than two weeks after New York City health officials announced two monkeypox-related deaths on October 22, the first virus-related deaths in all five boroughs. , although few details about the individuals were readily available.
According to the CDC, the United States has reported nine monkeypox-related deaths since the start of the 2022 outbreak, although the data was last updated on Friday. The first victim was reported in California in September.
New York City officials did not immediately release demographic or other information about the two residents who died, including whether they had underlying conditions, but offered their condolences in a short statement.
“We are deeply saddened by the two reported deaths and our hearts go out to loved ones and the community of people. Every effort will be made to prevent further suffering from this virus through continued community engagement, information sharing and vaccination. “, states the statement.
As of October 31, the city has recorded at least 3,743 known cases of the virus. Since its peak in late July, the New York City case outbreak has slowed significantly, to single-digit daily figures earlier this month.
To date, more than 148,322 first and second doses of the monkeypox vaccine have been administered.
“These deaths appear to have occurred in immunocompromised people with underlying health conditions,” Dr Purvi Parikh, of NYU Langone Health, told News 4 earlier.
New Yorkers who received the first doses are recommended to receive the second dose 28 days after the first. Walk-in vaccinations are available.
To find a vaccine location for you, go to https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/.
Additionally, the city announced that it will refer to monkeypox as MPV as “the former name is an imprecise and stigmatizing label for a virus that primarily affects a community that has already suffered a long history of intolerance.”
