Monkeypox in Europe: Germany reports its first cases as Italy and Spain confirm more infections

The list of countries with confirmed cases of monkeypox thicken this Friday, after France and Germany reported their first infections of this disease native to central and west Africa and continuing to spread throughout Europe.

Italy also three cases of monkeypox were confirmed, after reporting the first infection in a young man from the Canary Islands. Spain, for its part, reported a total of 28 cases of non-human smallpox, seven of which were known as “monkey” smallpox, and 21 more are pending of virus sequence results.

A first case of monkeypox was recorded on Thursday in France, in a 29-year-old man has not traveled to a country where the virus is spreading, announced by health authorities.

The man was isolated from his home in the Paris region. Authorities identified their contacts to let them know how to act to limit the spread of the virus.

The microbiology institute of the German armed forces said in part that it had detected the virus a patient who had skin lesionsone of its symptoms.

More cases in Italy and Spain

That was confirmed by the Infectious Disease Surveillance Service of Lazio, the Rome region the other two cases studied were also positive and they contacted the so-called zero patient who was confirmed this Thursday and spent several days in the Canary Islands.

“Three people were in good health, only one had a short -term fever and all of them with swollen lymph nodes and with painas well as the appearance of a limited number of small localized skin pustules, ”added Francesco Vaia, general director of the Lazaro Spallanzani Institute, where three patients were hospitalized.

The center director added that patients are being treated with symptomatic therapy but added that “there are antiviral drugs available at the Institute that can be used experimentally if a particular therapy is needed.”

Vaia wants to point out that “cannot be defined as a sexually transmitted disease or that affects homosexuals. ”“ Today it is recognized as a very close contact disease. It’s not right to stigmatize, but you have to understand this disease very well, ”he said.

For their part, sources from the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid confirmed that it will not be known until next Wednesday whether the 21 questionable cases of monkeypox in Spain are actually from that disease.

The tests certainly proved that the first seven cases tested positive on Wednesday in a partial sequencing is of monkeypox (technical English name for monkeypox).

Origin and symptoms of monkeypox

Ang Monkeypox is a rare disease originally from Africa. The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with the broken skin or mucous membranes of an infected person.

It can also be transmitted through fluids or contact with the sick person’s environment, such as bedding, clothing, dishes, towels, etc.

Since May 14, cases, which have no direct link to travel to Africa, have been confirmed in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, and Italy, as well as in the United States and Canada.

Its symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodesbefore causing a chickenpox-like rash on the face and body.

The disease, usually benign, succeeded after two or three weeks. The virus, which has infected thousands of people in central and west Africa in recent years, is not usually deadly.

Source: AFP