Monkeypox, Italy, Sweden, Australia, and Canada have joined a growing list of countries with confirmed cases of monkeypox, indicating a global outbreak.
Australian health officials have confirmed a case in Victoria and a possible case in New South Wales (NSW).
According to the Department of Health in Victoria, a man in his 30s became ill after returning from a trip to the United Kingdom earlier this week. He is still being treated in isolation at The Alfred Hospital in a stable condition with minor symptoms.
A man in his 40s who recently returned from Europe has also been diagnosed with monkeypox, according to NSW Health.
In addition, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed two cases of monkeypox in Quebec. Authorities are looking into 17 people for possible cases of the virus.
A person in the Stockholm area has been confirmed to be infected with smallpox, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency.
“The person confirmed to be infected with the virus in Sweden is not seriously ill, but has received treatment.” We don’t know where the person got infected. The investigation is still ongoing, according to infection doctor and investigator Klara Sonden of the agency in a statement.
According to local media, Italy has also confirmed a case in a young person who had recently returned from the Canary Islands.
The French Health Ministry has stated that it is investigating a possible case in the Paris/Ile-de-France region.
The first case of Monkeypox in the United States has been confirmed in a man from Massachusetts. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said six people in the country are being monitored for possible monkeypox infections after sitting next to an infected traveller who had symptoms on a flight from Nigeria to the UK in early May.
The first case of the disease was reported in the United Kingdom on May 7. The patient had recently travelled to Nigeria, where they are believed to have contracted the virus before arriving in England, according to the UK Health Security Agency. The number of confirmed cases in the United Kingdom has now risen to nine. The majority have been found in gay and bisexual men.
Spain had previously announced that it was looking into eight suspected cases involving gay and bisexual men. Portugal stated that it was looking into more than 20 suspected cases, five of which had already been confirmed. Northern Ireland has also confirmed a case.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the source of these infections has not yet been determined, but cases appear to have been “locally acquired.”
Spain had previously announced that it was looking into eight suspected cases involving gay and bisexual men. Portugal stated that it was looking into more than 20 suspected cases, five of which had already been confirmed. Northern Ireland has also confirmed a case.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the source of these infections has not yet been determined, but cases appear to have been “locally acquired.”
In the case of cases in the UK, virus transmission appears to have occurred through sexual contact between men who have sex with men, according to the European Infection Control Agency (ECDC).
“The infection is not considered highly contagious, but it must be transmitted through close contact.” “Sexual contact poses a risk,” according to the ECDC.
Monkeypox symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, general malaise, and a rash with blisters. Skin problems have frequently been reported in European cases to be localised to the genitals, groyne, and skin around the anal opening.
The UKHSA has urged gay and bisexual men to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to seek immediate medical attention from a sexual health service.
There is no vaccine approved in Europe for monkeypox, but the US Food and Drug Administration approved Jynneos in 2019 to prevent monkeypox infections, which also protects against smallpox.
According to Spanish media, Sweden plans to classify “smallpox as a generally dangerous disease,” and Spanish health authorities have reportedly purchased thousands of smallpox vaccines to combat the outbreak.
