118 positive cases of zoonotic monkeypox have been confirmed in European countries, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
Monkeypox (MPX) is the most common infection of its kind in humans after smallpox, according to the latest ECDC assessment, with a total of 219 confirmed cases worldwide as of May 25, with the majority of cases occurring in young men who have sex with other men.
“In endemic areas, monkeypox virus (MPXV) is likely to be maintained in nature by circulating among several mammals, with the occasional transmission of the virus to humans. In endemic areas, MPXV is transmitted to humans through the bite or direct contact with blood, meat, body fluids, or skin /mucosal lesions of an infected animal,” ECDC clarifies.
The number of positive cases varies from country to country, with the largest numbers reported in Spain (51) and Portugal (37). Other countries such as France, Germany, and Italy have reported five cases each, while the Netherlands has six.
Belgium, which was the first to quarantine those infected with the virus, has recorded four cases, while other countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovenia, and Sweden have recorded one case each, respectively.
“Most of the current cases have presented with mild symptoms of the disease, and for the general population, the likelihood of spreading the virus is very low. However, the likelihood of further spread of the virus through close contact, for example, during sexual activity among persons with several sexual partners, is considered high,” she said. ECDC director Andrea Ammon.
Possible causes of monkeypox maybe those who have tested positive for orthopoxvirus infection in a laboratory test, epidemiologically linked to a confirmed or probable case in the last 21 days.
In addition, people who have reported traveling to MPX-endemic countries in the last three weeks, and people who have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 21 days, can become infected. Men who have sex with men are especially at risk of contracting monkeypox.
In other countries, 101 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in non-European countries, with the majority reported in the United Kingdom (71), followed by Canada (15) and the United States (9).
Argentina, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates each confirmed one case, Switzerland and Australia two each, and Morocco three.