The city’s Health Department has ruled out a patient believed to be infected with monkeypox.
A second possible case tested positive for Orthopoxvirus. This is a general term for the smallpox viruses that cause different infections such as monkeypox, smallpox, and cowpox.
The specimens will now go to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to confirm if it is indeed monkeypox.
At the moment, the patient is isolated and treated as if he had the disease.
The Department of Health is also contact tracing, although it assures that the level of risk is low.
Meanwhile, the Department is also investigating a Legionnaires’ disease community group in the Highbridge section of the Bronx.
Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious and is caused by breathing in water vapor containing Legionella bacteria.
Four people have been diagnosed with the disease since May 9 and results are pending for others.
No deaths have been reported so far, but residents living in zip codes 10452 and 10456 are advised to seek medical attention if they have experienced flu-like symptoms.
The Health Department is sampling and testing the water from all the cooling tower systems in that area.
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