Monkeypox raided many European countries, and some people in the United States, Canada and Australia were "hit". What are the symptoms?

　　Sweden has become the latest country to find patients infected with the monkeypox virus.

　　As of the 20th, according to a reporter from China Business News, countries currently reporting confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox include the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Sweden, the United States, Canada and Australia.

　　On the 19th, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said on Thursday that it expected to issue its first risk assessment report for monkeypox early next week, and that the agency was "closely monitoring the situation", recommending "isolation and isolation of suspected cases. Detected and notified in a timely manner.”

　　Monkeypox, a virus that causes fever and a distinctive bumpy rash, has two main strains: the Congolese strain is more severe, with a mortality rate of 10%, and the West African strain has a mortality rate of about 1%.

As of the 19th, at least 29 confirmed cases of monkeypox and 68 suspected cases have been reported in the above-mentioned countries.

Or spread in Spain in the second half of April

　　On the 19th, the Swedish Public Health Agency confirmed that there was a confirmed case of monkeypox in the Stockholm area. The patient was "not in serious condition and has been treated", but the agency is currently unable to determine where the patient was infected, and the investigation is ongoing. middle.

　　On the same day, the French Ministry of Health said the first suspected case of the monkeypox virus had also been detected on French soil amid signs of a worldwide spread of the virus.

　　Italy has also reported a case of a young man who had recently returned from Spain's Canary Islands.

　　Earlier, Spain and Portugal both said there had been multiple confirmed cases.

Among them, there are 5 cases in Portugal, more than 20 suspected cases, and 7 cases in Spain,

　　According to Spanish media reports, Andradas, director-general of health in the Madrid region, said there was evidence that one case started showing symptoms at the end of April.

With the increase in the number of cases and the progress of epidemiological investigations, coupled with the release of monkeypox case reports in the United Kingdom, the above cases began to be identified as suspected monkeypox cases.

　　Health authorities in the region of Madrid said that most known confirmed cases of monkeypox in the region had symptoms since May 7-8, while the incubation period for the monkeypox virus usually lasts from 6 to 13 days, and in rare cases it can last 3 weeks.

　　It is reported that Spanish health authorities have purchased thousands of smallpox vaccines in response to the outbreak.

Monkeypox has similar symptoms to smallpox.

Some people in the U.S., Canada and Australia are "stricken"

　　In North America, outside of Europe, health authorities in the U.S. state of Massachusetts have also confirmed a man who had traveled to Montreal, Canada.

　　On the 19th, Canada also confirmed that there were two confirmed cases of monkeypox, and 17 local suspected cases were under investigation.

　　On the 20th, Australia reported its first case of monkeypox. The confirmed patient had recently returned to Australia from the United Kingdom. In addition, Australia has also reported a suspected case.

　　Comprehensive local media reports show that both patients have recently traveled to Europe and are in mild condition. The confirmed patients are being managed outside the community, while the relevant Australian departments are tracking the close contacts of their flight.

　　The first case of monkeypox was reported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on May 7, and the first confirmed patient had a history of travel to Africa.

On May 14, two more cases were identified in the UK, both living in the same household but with no recent travel history and no contact with the case reported on May 7.

Four additional cases were re-confirmed by UKHSA on 16 May, also with no recent travel history to endemic areas and who were not contacts of the cases reported between 7 and 14 May, possibly through community transmission.

　　John Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK's Health Security Agency, said the situation was "rare and unusual" and that "these latest cases, as well as case reports from various European countries, confirm our initial concerns that monkeypox could be transmitted in the community".

Monkeypox transmission and symptoms

　　The ECDC explains how monkeypox spreads and symptoms in a newly released statement.

　　Monkeypox is a viral disease, according to the ECDC.

It may be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or people, or with human material containing the virus.

　　"Human-to-human transmission is primarily through large respiratory droplets. Prolonged face-to-face contact is required because droplets cannot travel very far," the ECDC said. "The virus can also pass through body fluids, diseased material, or with diseased material. of indirect contact into the human body.”

　　Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion, and usually a rash: This usually starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals.

　　The rash goes through various stages and may look like chicken pox or syphilis, eventually forming a crust and then falling off.

The difference in appearance from chicken pox or syphilis is the uniform evolution of the lesions.

The incubation period is usually 6 to 16 days, but can be as long as 21 days.

When the scab falls off, the infected person is no longer contagious.

　　The ECDC also said that since 2018, seven cases of monkeypox have been reported in the UK (2021, 2019 and 2018), with the main patients having a history of travel to endemic countries.

　　"However, this is the first time a chain of transmission has been reported in Europe, but there are no known epidemiological links to West and Central Africa." The ECDC said monkeypox virus is considered moderately contagious in humans.

　　The ECDC also stated that given the unusually high frequency of human-to-human transmission observed in this event and the possible absence of travel history to endemic areas, there is a high probability that the virus will spread further through close contact, such as during sexual activity, without The potential for transmission between individuals in close contact is considered low.

　　The ECDC said the clinical manifestations of monkeypox are usually mild.

Mortality rates are higher in sick children and young adults, and immunocompromised people are especially vulnerable to severe disease.

Most people recover within a few weeks.