Brazilian is first infected with monkeypox in Germany

Germany has registered its first case of monkeypox, the Institute of Microbiology of the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces, reported on Friday. The virus was detected on Thursday in a 26-year-old Brazilian.

He arrived in Germany after a trip originating in Portugal, via Spain, and had been in Munich for a week, in southern Germany, where he arrived after passing through Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. The patient would have presented skin rashes, one of the characteristic symptoms of the disease. The Brazilian is in isolation at a clinic in the city.

In a statement, the institution points out that health authorities in Europe and North America have been detecting an increasing number of cases of monkeypox since the beginning of March, which raises fears that the disease, usually present only in some regions of the Africa, is spreading.

Biggest outbreak of the disease in Europe

With several confirmed cases in the UK, Italy, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, this is the biggest and most extensive outbreak of monkeypox ever seen in Europe. It remains to be seen whether there is a connection between the individual cases and the current outbreak and, if so, what that relationship is.

Canada was one of the most recent countries to report suspected cases of monkeypox, after Spain and Portugal confirmed 28 and 23 infections, respectively. The two countries are also investigating dozens of suspected cases.

The United Kingdom has confirmed 20 cases since May 6 and the United States one, stating that the patient had been in Canada. Sweden and Italy confirmed one case. France and Belgium also reported their first infections on Friday.

The WHO (World Health Organization) is in contact with European health authorities about the possible outbreaks.

A large part or possibly all of the cases so far affect men. The institute advises travelers returning from West Africa to see a doctor immediately if they notice any unusual skin changes, particularly men who have had sex with other men.

The incubation period for the virus ranges from seven to 21 days. Symptoms, however, usually appear after ten or 14 days. In addition to skin rashes, monkeypox causes head, back, and muscle pain, fever, chills, tiredness, and swollen lymph nodes.

Rare in the Americas and Europe, the disease, from which most recover within weeks and is only fatal in rare cases. The disease has infected thousands in some regions of Central and West Africa in recent years.

In the first case in the UK, the infected person had returned from Nigeria. Local health authorities, however, do not rule out community transmission of the virus.

Contagion by prolonged contact

Monkeypox is not easily transmitted. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or humans or with infected clothes and objects, through the bite of animals that carry the virus or consumption of these and through respiratory droplets, however, in this case, a prolonged personal contact is necessary. .

Men who have had sex with same-sex partners are the majority among those newly infected. British experts, however, say there is still not enough evidence to prove that monkeypox is also sexually transmitted.

Monkeypox was first recorded in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Isolated cases have emerged in other African countries. In 2003, an infection with this virus was identified in the United States, and, in 2018, another two in the United Kingdom and Israel. Since then, no cases have been reported outside the African continent.

The WHO considers the endemic risk of monkeypox to be extremely low. The disease is a zoonosis, which passes from animals to humans.

The pathogen that causes the disease circulates among rodents. Monkeys are considered transport hosts — that is, they carry the virus without it growing in their bodies.