Lisbon, May 20 (Agency) Portugal’s Directorate General of Health has confirmed 23 cases of monkeypox, an infectious disease endemic in Africa that has recently spread to Europe and North America. “DGS informs that nine more cases of human infection with the monkeypox virus have been confirmed in Portugal, with 23 cases confirmed so far,” a statement read. The new cases were all reported on Thursday. The ministry said the strain identified through sequencing originated in West Africa and was the least aggressive.
All patients are isolated at home and are in stable condition. Investigators are trying to trace transmission chains. More monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Sweden as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia. The disease is not typically fatal and manifests itself through fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, although the World Health Organization says it may lead to a range of medical complications.