The health authorities of Argentina have been alerted by a suspected case of mpox (formerly monkey pox) detected on a cargo ship coming from Brazil

Authorities quarantined the cargo ship in the Parana River, near the grain trade hub port of Rosario.

The Liberian-flagged vessel was en route from the Brazilian city of Santos, also a major trading hub, to load soybeans, according to Argentina’s health ministry and shipping agency.

The ship informed authorities that a member of its crew, an Indian national, developed cysts on the skin, mainly “on the chest and face”, and has been placed in isolation on board.

According to Argentina’s health ministry, a health emergency protocol was activated and the ship was forced to anchor in the middle of the river, as it was immediately quarantined.

Only medical personnel will be allowed to board the vessel while the entire crew will be placed in isolation until tests are done and results are available.

Authorities at the international level remain vigilant, due to the emergence of a new variant of the virus, which spreads faster.

A new outbreak of mpox in Africa, centered on DR Congo, prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a health emergency of international concern on August 14, its highest level of alert, as it had also done in 2022. Among the reasons were especially the emergence of a new variant of the virus, which is more easily transmitted and is potentially more lethal. The next day, a case of this variant, clade 1b, was confirmed in Sweden, the first in Europe in the current outbreak.

The disease, formerly known as monkey pox, is generally mild, but can prove fatal, especially for children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, especially those suffering from the virus that causes the immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV). . The most vulnerable groups are at higher risk of complications, according to experts.