Dr David Heymann, who previously headed the WHO’s emergency department, told The Associated Press that the leading theory among many advances to explain the spread of the disease was sexual transmission at raves in Europe.
Monkeypox has yet to cause widespread epidemics beyond Africa, where it is endemic in animals.
The WHO has recorded more than 90 cases of monkeypox in a dozen countries including Canada, Spain, Israel, France, Switzerland, the United States and Australia. On Monday, Denmark announced its first case, Portugal revised its total to 37, Italy reported a new infection and Britain added 37 more cases.
According to a government report obtained by the AP, Germany has four confirmed cases linked to exposure at “festive events…where sexual activity took place” in Spain’s Canary Islands and Berlin.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said a total of 70 cases had been confirmed in England since May 7.
Scotland confirmed its first case on Monday, taking the UK total to 71.
“We know that monkeypox can be spread through close contact with the lesions of an infected person, and it appears that sexual contact has now amplified this transmission,” Dr Heymann said.
This marks a significant departure from the disease’s typical spread pattern in West and Central Africa, where people are mainly infected by animals like wild rodents and primates and outbreaks have not spread across borders. .
Dr Heymann, who is also professor of infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “It is very possible that someone has been infected, has developed lesions on their genitals, hands or elsewhere. , then spread it to others through close sexual or physical contact.
“And then there were these international events that sowed the epidemic all over the world, in the United States and in other European countries. It’s not Covid. We have to slow it down, but it’s not spreading not in the air and we have vaccines to protect against it.”
Symptoms of monkeypox in humans
A rash usually appears 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms. The rash often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body.
Complete list of symptoms:
- a high temperature
- a headache
- muscle aches
- Back ache
- swollen glands
- chills (chills)
- exhaustion
Symptoms usually disappear within 2 to 4 weeks.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-25 07:28:52
