NYC investigating possible case of monkeypox as global infections rise

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the case is pending confirmation from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing.

New York City health officials are investigating a possible case of monkeypox as they reported more infections across the globe.

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday that after testing specimens from two patients under investigation for possible monkeypox, one case was identified as positive for orthopoxvirus -- the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs. Confirmation for monkeypox is pending testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials said.

"The patient is isolating, and -- treating this case as a presumptive positive until confirmed -- the Health Department is carrying out contact tracing," the department said in a release.

It's unclear what the patient's age, sex and ethnicity are. The state health department said the patient's illness is "consistent with monkeypox," though didn't provide further details.