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The rare infectious disease 'monkey pox', which has been mainly reported in Africa, is spreading to Europe.

More than 100 cases of monkeypox infection have been confirmed in Britain and Spain, according to foreign media.



Correspondent Lee Hyun-young.



[ Reporter



] More than 100 cases of monkeypox infection have been confirmed in Europe, including the UK, Spain, Portugal and Italy, Reuters reported.



In the UK, where the first case of monkeypox infection was confirmed in Europe, the number of infected patients increased by 11 to 20.



"We expect to see more cases coming from more locations in the near future," the UK health authority said.



Spain's health authorities also announced that the number of patients infected with monkey pox, centered on the capital Madrid, increased by nine, bringing the total to 30.



According to the Spanish health authorities, many of the patients were found to have used the same sauna.



In Portugal, 14 cases of infection were also reported in sexually transmitted disease clinics.



Experts are also paying attention to the possibility of sexual transmission, but they say there is no evidence yet.



[Ifedayo Adetifa/Nigerian Agency for Disease Control and Prevention: We are waiting for more information to confirm the possibility of sexual transmission of monkeypox in the UK and other countries.

However, as of now, there is no basis for it.]



Monkey smallpox is generally transmitted through the respiratory tract, and the fatality rate is 1 to 10% depending on the strain.



However, experts analyze that the fatality rate is low and the contagiousness is not strong enough to be a concern as much as Corona 19.