First Confirmed Case of Monkey Pox in US, Dozen Suspected Cases in Canada

After previous cases in the UK, Spain and Portugal, the monkeypox virus has now emerged in the US. The CDC announced this on Wednesday. A dozen suspected cases are also being investigated in neighbouring Canada.

In the US, the virus was diagnosed in a resident of the state of Massachusetts, in the northeast of the country. It concerns a person who recently travelled to Canada.

Meanwhile, the health services of the Canadian metropolis of Montreal report that they are investigating “at least” 13 suspected cases. The results are expected within a few days.

On Wednesday, Portugal had already reported twenty possible infections near the capital Lisbon, five of which have already been confirmed. In neighbouring Spain, eight suspicious cases are currently being investigated. In addition, there have been nine confirmed cases in the United Kingdom since Wednesday.

In monkey pox, the patient has flu symptoms and characteristic rashes, especially on the face but also on other parts of the body. In general, an infection with the monkeypox virus is through the air. But a large proportion of the new infections appear to have occurred through sexual contact. In most cases, it involved sex between men.