NJ records 8th monkeypox case, first confirmed in Camden County
A Camden County resident is now in isolation with a confirmed case of monkeypox as the total number of cases slowly rises throughout the state.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health have confirmed the new case, according to Camden County. The county said it has conducted contact tracing and is investigating to make a vaccine available to close contacts.
A lab test result confirmed the orthopoxvirus case, according to Camden County. The resident had traveled out of state but was isolated at home, as of Tuesday.
It's the latest case since the state reported its first probable case on June 20.
As of Tuesday evening, the state health department was reporting eight probable and confirmed cases in New Jersey.
Camden County Public Health Coordinator Paschal Nwako said that antiviral treatment and a vaccine for monkeypox are available.
“The threat to Camden County residents from monkeypox is extremely low right now,” Nwako said. “Monkeypox is very containable when immediate care has been sought for symptoms. There is no need for panic, but we are encouraging residents to stay vigilant and to watch for symptoms.”
The CDC reported at least 560 cases of monkeypox throughout the country. California and New York combined for 207 of those cases.
Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.