Several countries around the world have recorded confirmed or almost confirmed cases of the “monkeypox” virus, raising questions about the extent of the disease’s seriousness, and the possibility of its spread in other countries.
And the health authorities in the US state of Massachusetts confirmed, on Wednesday, the discovery of a case of a “rare and dangerous viral disease”, called monkeypox.
The discovered case is the first infection to be identified in the United States this year, according to the newspaper, “”Washington Post“.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health stated that Texas and Maryland reported one infection each year in “people who have recently traveled to Nigeria,” according to the newspaper.
On May 13, Britain announced the discovery of two confirmed cases and one probable case of the disease, bringing the number of cases to nine, according to “”The Guardian“.
Britain’s Health Security Agency said the latest cases were mostly “gay, bisexual or MSM”.
The agency advised people in those groups to be “particularly alert to any unusual rashes or lesions on any part of their body.”
The discovered cases raised concern in British circles, because historically only eight cases were discovered in Britain, the first was in 2018, according to the “Guardian”.
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The World Health Organization said, on Tuesday, that it is cooperating with the British authorities to shed light on the monkeypox infections that have been discovered in Britain since the beginning of May, especially in the gay community, according to “AFP”.
In a related context, Spain and Portugal announced, on Wednesday, that they had recorded more than forty confirmed or suspected cases of the disease.
And the health authorities in Madrid announced the discovery of 23 suspected cases of monkeypox.
A statement by the Spanish authorities said, on Twitter, “The transmission of the disease occurs through the respiratory system, but these 23 supposed cases of infection indicate that the transmission occurred through the mucous membranes during sexual relations,” according to “AFP.”
As for Portugal, there are “more than 20 suspected monkeypox cases in the Lisbon region, five of which have been confirmed,” as the health authorities in Portugal announced in a statement carried by the agency.
“Outbreaks of monkeypox have usually been small,” said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
He added, “Health officials have noticed that the latest cases have emerged among men who have had sex with other men,” according to the “Washington Post.”
For his part, a medical official at the Center for Disease Control, Ajam Rao, told the “Washington Post”, Wednesday, that the center was monitoring six Americans after they sat on a plane near a British patient.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease that usually presents with fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph glands, and a rash on the hands and face.
It was called by this name, after the animals in which it was first discovered.
The disease first emerged in 1958, when two outbreaks of smallpox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys preserved for research, according to “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention“.
The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Monkeypox infection usually lasts two to four weeks, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, eventually spreading fluid-filled bumps, or “chickenpox,” through the skin.
Archyde.com said that the disease was declared eradicated in 1980, explaining that its symptoms are much milder than those of smallpox, as most infected people recover within a few weeks, but it may be fatal in rare cases.
According to “World Health OrganizationThe case fatality rate for monkeypox outbreaks ranges between 1 and 10 percent, with most deaths occurring in younger groups.
There is no treatment or vaccine available to combat the disease, however, experts say that vaccination against smallpox has proven highly effective in preventing monkeypox as well.