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21-05-2022
Bureau Report + Agencies
MELBOURNE/ PARIS/ Brussels/ BERLIN: France, Belgium and Germany have reported their first cases of monkeypox, joining Australia, and several European and North American nations in detecting the disease, endemic in parts of Africa.
Monkeypox was identified in a 29-year-old man in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, who had not recently returned from a country where the virus is circulating, France’s health authorities said on Friday.
Separately, the German armed forces’ microbiology institute said it had confirmed the virus in a patient who had developed skin lesions, a symptom of the disease.
And in Belgium, microbiologist Emmanuel Andre confirmed in a tweet that the University of Leuven’s lab had confirmed a second of two cases in the country, in a man from the Flemish Brabant.
With the growing number of detected cases in several European countries, Germany’s health agency Robert Koch Institute has urged people returning from West Africa to see their doctors quickly if they notice any changes in their skin.
Not usually fatal
The rare disease, which is not usually fatal, often manifests itself through fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.
The virus can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions and droplets of a contaminated person, as well as through shared items such as bedding and towels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was looking closely at the issue and in particular that some of the cases in the United Kingdom appeared to have been transmitted within the gay community.
Cases of monkeypox have also been detected in Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden as well as in Australia, the United States and Canada, leading to fears that the disease, normally concentrated in Central and West Africa, may be spreading.
Monkeypox usually clears up after two to four weeks, according to the WHO.
Earlier, Australian authorities have identified a probable case of monkeypox in a man who recently returned from Europe, as Canada confirmed its first two cases, amid a growing outbreak of the rare disease in non-endemic countries.
The man in his 40s developed a mild illness a few days after arriving back in Sydney, showing symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox, New South Wales (NSW) state health department said. The man and a household contact are isolating at home.
Canada reported its first two confirmed cases of monkeypox on Thursday night.
“Tonight, the Province of Quebec was notified that two samples received by the NML (National Microbiology Laboratory) have tested positive for monkeypox. These are the first two cases confirmed in Canada,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a release.
A further 17 suspected cases are under investigation in Montreal, Quebec’s largest city, authorities said.
Cases of monkeypox have been identified in several non-endemic countries in Europe and North America this month after the United Kingdom notified the World Health Organization of a case in early May.
Health authorities suspect some of the infections may have occurred through sexual contact, in this instance among gay or bisexual men, with four of the UK cases identified among people who visited sexual health clinics after developing the rash associated with monkeypox.
