New York Confirms First Case of New Monkeypox Strain… Measles Outbreak Spreads in Texas
The New York State Department of Health confirmed on Tuesday the first case of a new monkeypox strain, raising global concerns about the spread of the variant, which is still poorly understood.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are three confirmed cases in the country, in California, Georgia, and New Hampshire, caused by the subvariant (IB).
In August, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which spread to neighboring countries.
The New York Department of Health declined to provide further information about the case.
Meanwhile, public health authorities said on Tuesday that the measles outbreak in West Texas has expanded, with a new case confirmed across the state border in New Mexico. The Texas Department of Health Services reported 24 measles cases, with symptoms appearing in the past two weeks. The small county of Gaines in West Texas is among the areas with the highest vaccine exemption rates in the state.
In the neighboring Lea County, New Mexico, residents were alerted on Tuesday about an unvaccinated teenager with measles, as well as the potential exposure to more people in an emergency room at a hospital and a sixth-grade gymnasium in Lovington.
The New Mexico Department of Health stated in a press release: “The affected teen in New Mexico has not traveled recently and has not had contact with known cases linked to the outbreak in Texas.” In Texas, 9 patients have been hospitalized due to measles, and all confirmed cases in Gaines County are from unvaccinated individuals. The U.S. has seen an increase in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago affecting more than 60 people.
