At least nine European countries have been affected by the monkeypox virus, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with instances being recorded in the United States, Canada, and Australia. A top health official has warned that cases might “accelerate” when the WHO conducted an emergency meeting on Friday. “I am afraid that transmission might increase as we reach the summer season… with large gatherings, festivals, and parties,” WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge was reported as saying.
Here are ten facts about monkeypox:
- The distribution appears “atypical,” according to Kluge. “With the exception of one recent case, none of the recent patients had any relevant travel history to locations where monkeypox is endemic,” he continued.
- In Europe, about 100 cases have been verified or suspected.
- On Friday, 24 more cases were reported in Spain, bringing the total number of cases to 30. Due to a possible relation to the epidemic, a sauna in Madrid has been compelled to close. A Twitter statement stated, “The Paraiso sauna will stay closed for the next several days, as a precautionary measure in the context of the alarm… concerning the advent of so-called monkeypox diseases in the Madrid region.”
- The German military forces’ medical department was reported in the media as saying, “This is the greatest and most extensive outbreak of monkeypox ever witnessed in Europe.” On Friday, the European nation announced the first case in the country.
- “Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that generally occurs in wooded areas of Central and West Africa, with accidental human infections.” The monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, causes it, according to the WHO.
- Droplet exposure by inhaled big droplets and contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated objects are the most common modes of transmission. Monkeypox takes 6 to 13 days to incubate, although it can take anywhere from 5 to 21 days. According to the World Health Organization, “the condition is frequently self-limiting, with symptoms generally resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days.”
- According to a senior US administration official, there appears to be “little public danger” at this moment.
- Health professionals believe that transmission has been going on for some time, and that most instances are transferred through close contact.
- Unlike Covid, the monkeypox virus, which has mostly been reported from African countries, is unlikely to spread.
10 “This outbreak, on the other hand, is unlikely to persist long. Contact tracking can help isolate the cases, and there are also treatments and vaccinations that can be administered if necessary “The Robert Koch Institute’s Fabian Leendertz was cited in the media.
