PostedMay 28, 2022, 12:37 AM
Argentina confirmed having detected two cases of monkeypox on Friday. A first in Latin America, while Europe is the most affected continent.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the number of confirmed non-endemic monkeypox cases had reached 219 on Wednesday, but no deaths.
AFP
Argentina confirmed two cases of monkeypox in the country on Friday, the first cases officially reported by health authorities in Latin America, where the disease is not endemic.
The Argentine Ministry of Health said in a statement that a suspected case identified earlier this week was confirmed positive after additional tests, including genomic sequencing. The latter gave a “high percentage” of homology with the West African branch, an endemic area of the disease.
The ministry did not give details on the patient, but according to the press he is a 40-year-old who recently visited Spain, one of the non-endemic countries that has reported the most recent cases (98 on Friday ).
“In isolation”
“The patient is in good general condition, in isolation, and is receiving symptomatic treatment. His close contacts, who are subject to strict clinical and epidemiological monitoring, are all asymptomatic to date,” the ministry said.
In the evening, he confirmed a second authenticated case, that of a Spanish resident who has been visiting the province of Buenos Aires since Wednesday, unrelated to the first case, and who has skin lesions, one of the symptoms of monkey pox. He is nevertheless in “good general condition”, and he too is in solitary confinement.
Endemic in 11 countries in Central and West Africa, monkeypox has been detected in more than 20 other countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and a dozen countries from Europe. This infectious disease is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals. Human-to-human transmission is possible through close and prolonged contact, but is currently considered rare.
No deaths
Its symptoms are high fever, headache, muscle pain, then the appearance of rashes, lesions, pustules. It is its appearance in non-endemic countries that worries experts. So far, confirmed cases in non-endemic areas are mostly mild and no deaths have been reported.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Union’s disease agency, the number of confirmed cases of non-endemic monkeypox had reached 219 on Wednesday, but no deaths.
(AFP)