Monkeypox Claims First Two Victims in New York City

Two monkeypox-linked deaths became the first MPV fatalities in New York City’s five boroughs on Friday.

This takes the total United States deaths linked to MPV up to four, although NBC New York cited that the last update by the CDC was before the deaths in NYC.

In a statement, New York City officials said, “We are deeply saddened by the two reported deaths and our hearts go out to the individuals’ loved ones and community. Every effort will be made to prevent additional suffering from this virus through continued community engagement, information-sharing, and vaccination.”

The demographics or other information about the residents who died wasn’t available for immediate release, nor was it revealed if they had any other underlying conditions. However, Dr. Purvi Parikh of NYU Langone Health stated, “It appears that these deaths did occur in individuals who are either immunocompromised and have underlying health conditions.”

The city of New York has recorded at least 3,695 cases of MPV as of October 17, though the outbreak has dropped significantly since its peak at the end of July.

As of now, around 143,000 first and second doses of the MPV vaccine have been administered in the city.

Walk-in appointments are available to New Yorkers, who are strongly advised to get their second doses 28 days after their first.

Also, due to the “inaccurate and stigmatizing label for a virus that is primarily affecting a community that has already suffered a long history of bigotry,” NYC officials stated they would also only refer to monkeypox as MPV moving forward.