Monkeypox: Spain, Portugal Detect Suspected Cases
On Wednesday, officials said that approximately 30 suspected monkeypox cases of had been detected in Portugal and Spain after British authorities had found several cases of the viral illness, which is rare in Europe.
Health officials have pointed out that some of the UK infections may have been through sexual contact — most likely amongst gay or bisexual men — which would be a new occurrence in the understanding of how the virus becomes transmitted.
The World Health Organization has stated that it was partnering itself with UK to investigate the outbreak.
In a statement, the health ministry said that in Portugal, there have been 20 suspected monkeypox cases, which is indigenous to Central and West Africa, that were detected within the Lisbon region.
“The cases were all among males, the majority of them young, who had ulcerated lesions,” it added.
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In Spain, the authorities have detected eight suspect cases of the smallpox-like disease that “still must be confirmed” by analysis, the health ministry said. Both the Spanish and Portuguese health authorities have not yet released any information regarding the sexual orientation of the monkeypox patients or suspected cases.
Symptoms of monkeypox in humans include lesions, fever, muscle ache and chills. Most people recover from the illness within several weeks. Transmission is usually via close contact with infected animals such as rodents and monkeys and is limited between people. It has only been fatal in rare cases.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), it has detected four new cases after registering three cases earlier in May. All four of the additional cases were men who have sex with men or self-identify as gay or bisexual.
None have known connections with the three earlier confirmed cases, the first of which was linked to travel from Nigeria, raising fears of community spread of the virus.
