At least nine European countries have been affected by the monkeypox virus, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with instances also reported in the United States, Canada, and Australia. A top health official has warned that cases could “accelerate” when the WHO held an emergency meeting on Friday. “I am concerned that transmission could accelerate as we reach the summer season… with mass gatherings, festivals, and parties,” WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge was cited as saying by news agency AFP.
According to news agency Reuters, Germany’s military forces medical department said, “This is the greatest and most extensive outbreak of monkeypox ever observed in Europe.” On Friday, the European nation reported the first case in the country.
“Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that commonly causes human infections in forested areas of Central and West Africa.” The monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, causes it, according to the WHO.
“By droplet exposure via inhaled big droplets and contact with infected skin sores or contaminated items,” says the CDC. Monkeypox takes 6 to 13 days to incubate, although it can take anywhere from 5 to 21 days. According to the World Health Organization, “the condition is frequently self-limiting, with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days.”
