Belgium, with only four confirmed cases of monkeypox, decreed a mandatory 21-day quarantine for those infectedas reported by the Risk Assessment Group (RAG).
It is estimated that the ulcers produced by the disease last three weeks on the skin -specifically 21 days-, so that is the time that those who contract the virus must be in quarantine now.
The monkeypox virus, which causes a rash on various parts of the body and usually heals on its own, was first identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
Its symptoms resemble, to a lesser degree, those observed in the past in subjects with smallpox: fever, headache, muscle and back pain during the first five days.
(We recommend you read: WHO raises to 131 cases of monkeypox in non-endemic countries).
The United Kingdom raised the alarm on May 7 and as reported by the British Health Minister this Friday, there are already 20 people infected in the country. With the exception of the first case – the infected person had recently traveled to Nigeria – the patients were infected in the United Kingdom.
This suggests that the transmission may have started some time ago.
According to the WHO’s health officer in Europe, Hans Kluge, the transmission could be driven by the fact that “the cases that are currently being detected are among people who have sexual relations”, and many do not recognize the symptoms.
(You may be interested in: Monkeypox: the US will vaccinate, but not all people).
Most of the cases recorded in recent days have been in men who have sex with men and have sought treatment at sexual health clinics. Furthermore, he added that “this suggests that the transmission may have started some time ago”.
The growth of monkeypox in the world
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that it wanted to clarify, with the help of the United Kingdom, the cases detected since the beginning of May, especially in the homosexual community. Kluge’s statement comes after France, Belgium and Germany announced their first cases.
Italy has also recorded three cases of infected people so far, health authorities said on Friday. The disease was identified for the first time on Thursday in a young man who had recently returned from the Canary Islands (Spain) and in two other people this Friday, according to the Institute of Infectious Diseases of the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome.
(You may be interested in: Monkeypox: EU considers putting pets in quarantine).
In Spain, local authorities even closed down a sauna in the capital. The establishment -a gay place called ‘El Paraíso’- is suspected of being the origin of many infections in the Community of Madrid. They reported that there are 21 confirmed cases and 19 suspected cases in the region. In Spain, Health is the responsibility of the regions, so the global count is not immediate.
In Colombia, the National Institute of Health (INS) noted that there are no confirmed cases of monkeypox in the country.
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*With information from AFP and El Comercio (Peru – GDA)
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