Argentine authorities confirmed today that they have identified the first case smallpox of monkeys in Latin America, while investigating another “suspect”, according to the Ministry of Health.
Spain, Britain and Portugal are the countries with the most cases of this usually mild disease that is endemic to West and Central Africa.
The Argentine Ministry of Health clarified that the patient is “in good condition” and that those who came in contact with him are under observation and so far have not shown any symptoms. The suspected case is a Spaniard who arrived in the country on Wednesday and yesterday showed ulcerative lesions. He has been isolated and is receiving treatment for his symptoms.
Some 20 countries where monkey pox is not endemic have reported cases, mainly in Europe. According to the World Health Organization, the approximately 200 confirmed cases that have been identified in recent weeks may be just the tip of the iceberg. “We do not know if what we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sylvie Brian, director of the Global Infectious Diseases Prevention Division, who described the organisation’s “unusual” spread of the virus.
Brian noted that experts are trying to determine what caused this “unusual situation”. The first results of the tests do not show that the virus has mutated.
As of Wednesday, 219 cases had been confirmed, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Today, the Spanish Ministry of Health reported 98 cases, Britain 90 and Portugal 74. In the latter country, all cases are male, most under 40 years old.
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