Portuguese health authorities on Wednesday confirmed five cases of monkeypox in young men, and Britain announced another two, marking a rare outbreak in Europe of a disease typically confined to Africa.
Portugal’s Directorate General for Health said it was also investigating 15 suspected cases, all of which were identified this month around Lisbon, the capital.
All of the Portuguese cases involve men, most of them young, authorities said.
It was reported that all have skin lesions and are in stable condition. Authorities did not say whether the men had a history of traveling to Africa or whether they have any links to recent cases in Britain or elsewhere.
British health authorities said on Wednesday they had identified two new cases of monkeypox, one in London and one in south-east England.
They reported that none of those infected had traveled to Africa and that it was possible they had been infected in the UK.
The cases had no known links to other previously confirmed patients, indicating that there may be multiple chains of transmission of this type of smallpox in the country.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at Britain’s Health Security Agency, said the latest cases, along with the other reported infections in Europe, “confirm our initial concerns that monkeypox could spread within our communities. ”.
The agency said recent cases had been seen “predominantly in gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men,” though it noted it was unclear exactly how people became infected.
So far, monkeypox has not been documented to spread through sexual intercourse, but it can be transmitted through close contact with infected people, their clothing, or bedding.
Earlier this week, the British agency reported four cases of monkeypox that it said were spreading among gay and bisexual men in London. The agency said the risk to the general population “remains low.”
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