US confirms first case of monkeypox; UK tally rises to 7 and Portugal reports 5

A resident of Massachusetts, US has tested positive for monkeypox, making it the first case of the rare virus detected in the country this year. The patient is an adult male who recently travelled to Canada, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said.

The health officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) completed initial testing on Tuesday and confirmed the case on Wednesday. The patient is hospitalized in isolation and is doing fine.

Officials and health care providers are working closely to identify people who may have been in contact with the patient.

"The case poses no risk to the public, and the individual is hospitalized and in good condition" the Department of Public Health said as reported by WCBV.

However, it is unclear how the patient acquired the disease, but the authorities are working closely to trace the infection.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) told CBC it had called on "public health authorities and laboratory partners across Canada to be alert for and investigate any potential cases."

Earlier in 2021, only two cases were reported in Texas and Maryland amongst people who travelled to Nigeria.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was the first to report a case of monkeypox in Europe. The case was reported on May 7, in a person who had recently flown into the UK from Nigeria. Six more cases have been identified in the UK since then, as per a Euronews report.

The UKHSA has reported that the patients are predominately gay or bisexual men. However, the disease is not sexually transmitted and typically spreads through contact with body fluids like mucus and respiratory droplets from face-to-face contact. According to a Forbes report, the fatality rate of the UK’s is estimated at less than 1%. Most patients recover within a few weeks after suffering early symptoms like fever and headache.

Portugal also confirmed five cases of monkeypox, and the General Directorate for Health said they were investigating 15 suspected cases identified in Lisbon.

Health authorities in Spain’s central Madrid region are assessing 23 possible cases of monkeypox as well.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The first case in humans was recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Since then the disease has spread to several parts of the world, mostly in central and western Africa.

According to the CDC, there were no reported cases of monkeypox for 40 years before it re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017.

Monkeypox can transmit from animals to humans when an infected animal bites or scratches a person. It can also spread from person-to-person contact via large respiratory droplets in the air. However, in this mode the virus cannot travel more than a few feet.

The most common symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. A rash may appear after one to three days of the infection. It starts often on the face and spreads to other parts of the body.