Monkeypox Outbreak In Europe 'largest In Area' As Cases Cross 100

21 May 2022 International

More than 100 cases of monkeypox, a viral virus more frequent in the west and central Africa, have been confirmed in Europe, with German officials calling it the region's greatest epidemic ever.

In nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, the United States, and Australia, cases have now been verified.

The illness, which was first discovered in monkeys, spreads by intimate contact and has only rarely travelled outside of Africa, so this cluster of cases has caused alarm.

However, because the virus does not spread as quickly as SARS-COV-2, experts do not expect the epidemic to turn into a pandemic like COVID-19.

Monkeypox is often a minor viral infection characterized by fever and a unique bumpy rash.

"With numerous confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal, this is the greatest and most extensive outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe," Germany's armed forces medical staff said on Friday, after the country's first case was discovered.

The outbreak was defined as an epidemic by Fabian Leendertz of the Robert Koch Institute.

"However, this outbreak is unlikely to endure for long." "Contact tracing can help isolate the instances, and there are also medications and vaccinations that can be administered if necessary," he added.

Although there is no particular vaccination for monkeypox, research suggests that vaccines used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against monkeypox, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On Thursday, British officials said that certain healthcare professionals and others who may have been exposed to monkeypox had been provided with smallpox vaccination.

UNIQUE CASES

Monkeypox incidences have been documented in 11 African countries since 1970. Nigeria has been experiencing a significant epidemic since 2017; according to the WHO, there have been 46 suspected cases this year, with 15 confirmed.

On May 7, the first European case was verified in a person who had returned to England from Nigeria.

According to a tracker maintained by a University of Oxford scholar, more than 100 cases have been confirmed outside of Africa since then.

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