After several cases in Great Britain, monkeypox has also been identified in Spain and Portugal. According to the Europa Press news agency, eight people have been infected with the virus in Madrid, citing health authorities. The virus is usually transmitted through the air. In these cases, however, the experts assumed infection from fluids because all eight patients were gay men.
You’re doing well given the circumstances. In Portugal, too, men were mainly affected who had sexual contact with other men, reports Lusa news agency. The newspaper “Publico” reported about 20 infected people.
“Seek medical care”
Given the cases in Britain, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had also notified doctors in Germany about the virus infection before the new information from Spain and Portugal. An article published by the RKI states that monkeypox should also be considered as a possible cause in the case of indistinct pox-like skin changes if those affected have not traveled to certain areas. Monkeypox was previously mainly known from some regions of Africa.
According to the RKI, men who have sex with men should “seek immediate medical attention” if they have unusual skin changes.
Business in the UK is piling up
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the number of recorded cases of the rare disease in Britain had risen to seven as of Monday. Connections between those affected are only partially known. In some cases, it is unclear where those affected are infected. Four recently reported cases also include men who have had sexual contact with other men. They would have been infected in London.
The first infection, which became known in Great Britain at the beginning of May, is said to be due to an infection in Nigeria. In response, UK experts stressed that monkeypox is not easily transmitted from person to person and the risk to the general population is very low.
rash on face and body
According to the UKHSA, the viral illness usually causes only mild symptoms, but can also be severe. Only symptomatic patients with close contact are contagious. After the first signs of illness appear (see box), a rash may develop, often spreading from the face to other parts of the body. The rash looks different with each stage and can resemble chickenpox and syphilis. There is no specific therapy and no vaccination against monkeypox.
Smallpox has been considered eradicated worldwide since 1980 after a major vaccination campaign. As the RKI explains, large parts of the world’s population no longer have vaccination protection. In Nigeria, there has been an increase in monkeypox infections in humans – and cases related to travel there – since 2017, especially in the UK.
Monkeys are considered false hosts
Experts suspect that the monkeypox pathogen circulates in rodents and that monkeys are considered false hosts. “Infections can be transmitted through contact with the secretions of infected animals,” the RKI report says. Person-to-person transmissions through contact with bodily fluids or scabs are described with chains of infection of up to six individuals. “The sexual transmission of smallpox viruses is also possible,” it said.
In a 2019 article, three RKI researchers noted, “Outside of Africa, monkeypox has been diagnosed in humans only three times: in 2003 in the US and in 2018 in the UK and Israel.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
