Madrid/Boston: Spain and Portugal have detected more than 40 suspected cases of monkeypox, while US officials have reported the country’s first confirmed case.
Monkeypox, which occurs mostly in West and Central Africa, is a rare viral infection similar to human smallpox, though milder. The virus causes a characteristic bumpy rash along with fever symptoms.
Officials said on Wednesday that the outbreaks were concentrated in Spanish and Portuguese capital cities.
The only US case was detected in Massachusetts, with health officials saying the person with the infection had recently traveled to Canada.
Just days after British health officials said they had detected seven cases so far this month, the World Health Organization has worked with the government to investigate the outbreak.
Health officials have noted that some of these infections may be through sexual contact – in this example between gay or bisexual men – which would be a new development in understanding how the virus is transmitted.
Health officials in the Madrid region said in a statement that they had detected “23 possible cases of monkeypox”, indicating that all of them were transmitted through sexual activity.
An image taken during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from 1996 to 1997 shows the arm and torso of a patient with skin lesions caused by monkeypox. (CDC handout via Reuters)
“In general, transmission is through respiratory droplets, but characteristics of 23 suspected infections point to passage through bodily fluids during sexual intercourse,” the statement said.
“They are all young adult men and most of them are men who have sex with other men, but not all of them are,” Elena Andradas, head of public health in the Madrid region, told Cadena Ser Radio.
Portugal’s health ministry said in a statement that 20 more suspected cases of monkeypox have been detected in the Lisbon region.
“The cases were all in men, most of them young, who had ulcerative lesions,” it said.
Symptoms of monkeypox in humans include a rash that often starts on the face and then moves to other parts of the body, fever, muscle aches, and chills. Most people recover from the disease within several weeks.
Transmission usually occurs through close contact with infected animals such as rodents and monkeys, and is limited between people. It has been fatal only in rare cases.
Read also: Explainer: why cases of monkeypox are increasing in Europe
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a public health security body, said on Monday that it had detected four new cases after the first three in May.
All four of the additional cases were men who have sex with men or identify as gay or bisexual.
None have links with the three previously confirmed cases, the first of which was linked to travel from Nigeria, raising fears of community spread of the virus.
In the US, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said it was working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and relevant local boards of health to conduct contact tracing, adding that “the case poses no risk to the public.” and the person is hospitalized and is in good condition.”
Canada’s Public Health Agency issued a statement late Wednesday saying it was aware of cases of monkeypox in Europe and was closely monitoring the current situation, with no reported cases at this time.
Monkeypox was first recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1970s. The number of cases in West Africa has increased over the past decade.
Symptoms include fever, headache and skin rash starting from the face and spreading to the rest of the body.
The Massachusetts agency said the virus does not spread easily between people, but transmission through respiratory droplets such as body fluids, monkeypox sores, fluids such as bedding or clothing or after being contaminated by the wounds for a long time. It is possible -Face contact.
It said no monkeypox cases had been identified in the US earlier this year. Texas and Maryland each reported a case in 2021 among people who had recently traveled to Nigeria.
The CDC also said it is tracking several clusters of monkeypox that have been reported in Europe within the past two weeks.