Monkey pox: more than forty suspected or confirmed cases in Spain and Portugal


Health authorities in Canada are also examining thirteen cases of this disease, which manifests as fever, muscle aches and a rash on the hands and face.

After the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal announced on Wednesday May 18 in turn that they had identified more than forty suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox, a rare disease in Europe. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that it wanted to shed light, with the help of the United Kingdom, on the cases of monkeypox detected in this country since the beginning of May, in particular in the homosexual community.

A total of twenty-three suspected cases of this viral disease (“monkeypox“), endemic to West Africa, have been identified in the Madrid region, local health authorities announced on Wednesday evening. It is an uncommon illness, usually manifesting with fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash on the hands and face, like chickenpox, details a statement from the health authorities of the Madrid region.

Typically, transmission occurs through the respiratory route, but these 23 suspected cases of infection suggest transmission occurred through mucous membranes during sexual intercourse“, specifies the document published on Twitter. Affected people knowa positive developmentof the disease and are isolated at home, it is added.

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National health alert

In Portugal, there aremore than 20 suspected cases (…) in the Lisbon region (west), of which five have been confirmed“, announced the Directorate General of Health of Portugal in a press release. “These cases, mostly young, all male, had ulcerative lesions“, specified the health authority.

In Canada, at least thirteen cases are being examined, according to Radio Canada, and in the United States, a case has been confirmed in Massachusetts, in a traveler who came from Canada.

According to the Spanish and Portuguese authorities, which have triggered a national health alert, this rare disease is not very contagious between humans, has no treatment and is generally cured on its own.

Since May 6, seven cases have been identified in the UK, including four cases in people identifying as “gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men“, according to the British Health Security Agency (UKHSA). With the exception of the first case – the infected person had recently traveled to Nigeria – the patients were infected in the United Kingdom, raising fears of community transmission.


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