Monkey pox spread to many European countries

Monkeypox virus molecule – Photo: UK Health Security Agency

On May 20, AFP news agency quoted French health authorities as saying the first case of monkeypox in the country was a 29-year-old man from the Ile-de-France region. This person recently traveled to countries where monkeypox is spread.

At the same time, the Institute of Microbiology of the German Armed Forces in Munich has now detected the monkeypox virus for the first time in a patient with characteristic skin lesions.

According to German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, based on the available information, the monkeypox virus is not contagious and can be contained if action is taken quickly.

According to Mr. Lauterbach, the virus detected in the patient in Germany is a variant in West Africa, which is more difficult to spread than the Congo variant. The country’s Robert Koch Institute has advised people returning from West Africa to seek medical attention if they notice any abnormalities on their skin.

In Spain, authorities announced 14 new cases, bringing the total number of monkeypox virus infections to 21.

On May 20, the UK also had 11 new infections, bringing the total number of cases to 20, while Portugal recorded a total of 21 cases, an increase of 14 cases.

Cases of monkeypox in several European and North American countries have raised concern because the disease, which is spread by close contact and first detected in monkeys, is mostly found in West and Central Africa and only occasionally appear elsewhere.

Monkeypox is a rare disease, similar to smallpox, and usually has mild symptoms. Common symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, and rash.

There are two main strains of the smallpox virus, the Congo strain and the West African strain. Of these, the Congo strain usually causes more severe disease, with a mortality rate of about 10%, and the West African strain is about 1%.

There is currently no vaccine for monkeypox, but UK health officials say the smallpox vaccine is still effective.