Cases of the actually rare monkey pox are now occurring in more and more countries – now also Spain, Portugal and the US. So far, no case has been discovered in Austria, the health ministry announced on Thursday. However, Austria is “in an intensive international exchange and continues to continuously evaluate the situation”. It is also currently being investigated how the monkeypox reporting obligation is implemented.
After the viral illness emerged, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for all contacts of those affected to be closely monitored. The WHO announced on Wednesday evening that clinics and the public should be made aware of the need to have an unusual skin rash examined by specialists. If monkeypox is suspected, patients should be isolated.
Mainly occurs in men after sexual contact
After Great Britain, cases were also known in Spain, Portugal and the US. A person from the state of Massachusetts in the northeast of the country has been affected, the US health authority CDC said Wednesday. In Spain, eight infections were reported in the capital Madrid and in Portugal there were even about 20 infected people. In most cases that have become known to date, men are affected who have had sexual contact with other men.
In Canada, health authorities are now investigating about a dozen suspected cases. Results are expected in the coming days, it said. Canadian broadcaster CBC reported that authorities had been notified of a confirmed case in the province of Quebec.
Mostly mild slopes
Monkeypox infections in humans have so far been known mainly from some regions of Africa. The first known infection in Great Britain is said to be due to an infection in Nigeria.
The viral illness usually causes only mild symptoms, but serious courses cannot be completely ruled out. Only those who are symptomatic and in close contact are contagious, according to the UK health authority UK Health Security Agency. The first signs of illness are: fever, headache, muscle and back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A rash may also develop, which often spreads from the face to other parts of the body. The rash looks different depending on the stage and can resemble chickenpox and syphilis. There is no specific therapy and no vaccination against it.
Smallpox eradicated – monkeypox on the rise?
Smallpox has been considered eradicated worldwide since 1980 after a major vaccination campaign. As the German Robert Koch Institute (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.
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.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
