WORLD-EUROPE: MONKEY POX DISEASE: Monkeypox outbreak in Europe ‘largest ever’ in region

A doctor examines a woman infected with monkeypox at a quarantine area of the centre of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans frontieres – MSF), in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region, in the Central African Republic on October 18, 2018. Monkeypox is a contagious disease, without remedy, which heals itself, but who can kill if not treated in time. Since May 2018, the monkeypox virus, which spreads in tropical Africa, has become a (AFP/Charkes Bouessel)

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London, United Kingdom

More than 100 cases of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, have been reported in Europe, with German officials describing the outbreak as the largest ever in the region.

 

Cases have now been confirmed in countries including the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, the United States and Australia.

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First identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern.

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However, scientists do not expect the outbreak to evolve into a pandemic like COVID-19, given the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.

UNDATED ? MAY 27: In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient?s hand May 27, 2003. The CDC said the viral disease monkeypox, thought to be spread by prairie dogs, has been detected in the Americas for the first time with about 20 cases reported in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. (Photo Courtesy of CDC/Getty Images)

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Monkeypox is usually a mild viral illness, characterised by symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive bumpy rash.

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“With several confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, this is the largest and most widespread outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe,” said Germany’s armed forces’ medical service, which detected its first case in the country on Friday.

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Fabian Leendertz, from the Robert Koch Institute, described the outbreak as an epidemic.

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Pox virus, illustration. Pox viruses are oval shaped and have double-strand DNA. There are many types of Pox virus including Chickenpox, Monkeypox and Smallpox. Smallpox was eradicated in the 1970’s. Infection occurs because of contact with contaminated animals or people and results in a rash or small bumps on the skin.

“However it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long.

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The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary,” he said.

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There isn’t a specific vaccine for monkeypox, but data shows that vaccines that were used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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British authorities on Thursday said they had offered a smallpox vaccine to some healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed to monkeypox.

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Unusual Cases Since 1970, monkeypox cases have been reported in 11 African countries.

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Nigeria has had a large outbreak since 2017 – so far this year there have been 46 suspected cases, of which 15 have since been confirmed, according to the WHO.

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The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in an individual who returned to England from Nigeria.

Since then, more than 100 cases have been confirmed outside Africa, according to a tracker by a University of Oxford academic.

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Many of the cases are not linked to travel to the continent.

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As a result, the cause of this outbreak is unclear, although health authorities have said that there is potentially some degree of community spread.

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In Britain, where 20 cases have been now confirmed, the UK Health Security Agency said the recent cases in the country were predominantly among men who self-identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

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The 14 cases in Portugal that were all detected in sexual health clinics are also in men who self-identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

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UNDATED ? JUNE 5: In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient?s hand June 5, 2003. The CDC said the viral disease monkeypox, thought to be spread by prairie dogs, has been detected in the Americas for the first time with about 20 cases reported in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. (Photo Courtesy of CDC/Getty Images)

It is too early to say if the illness has morphed into a sexually transmitted disease, said Alessio D’Amato, health commissioner of the Lazio region in Italy.

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Three cases have been reported so far in the country.

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Sexual contact, by definition, is close contact, added Stuart Neil, professor of virology at Kings College London.

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“The idea that there’s some sort of sexual transmission in this, I think, is a little bit of a stretch,” he said.

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Scientists are sequencing the virus from different cases to see if they are linked, the WHO has said. The agency is expected to provide an update soon.

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Monkeypox, A Member Of The Orthopox Family Of Viruses, Is An Infection Accidentally Transmitted To Humans Due To Its Similarity To The Smallpox Virus. Although Animals Infected With Monkeypox Exhibit No Symptoms, Infected Humans Manifest High Fever Accompanied By Headaches, Cervical And Inguinal Adenopathy, And Cutaneous Lesions That Are Similar To Those That Characterize A Smallpox Infection. As With Smallpox, No Effective Medical Treatment Has Been Identified. Here, The Arms And Legs Of A 4 Year Old Girl Infected With Monkeypox. Bondua, Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

Reuters

. ●   Sat, May 21, 2022

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