The disease is rare and causes skin lesions and rash, fever, chills, or headache. It is transmissible through contact with animals and contact with infected people or materials.
Portugal has five confirmed cases of monkeypox, the DirectorateGeneral for Health (DGS) said in a statement, noting the country has more than 20 suspected cases of the virus.
“This month of May, more than 20 suspected cases of monkeypox virus infection have been identified, all in the Lisbon region and the Tagus Valley, five of which have already been reported by the National Institute of Health Dr. 18 have been confirmed. The cases, mostly boys and all males, are stable and present with ulcerative lesions,” the DGS statement said.
The statement also informs that the DGS “centralizes, at this stage, all actions to identify, assess, manage and communicate risks related to these cases through the Center for Public Health Emergencies (CESP)”.
Monkeypox virus, or monkeypox, belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus and causes a communicable disease through contact with animals or close contact with infected humans or contaminated materials, the DGS explains.
“The disease is rare and does not usually spread easily among people”, specifies the statement by the health authority. “People with ulcerative lesions, rash, palpable lymph nodes, possibly accompanied by fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and fatigue should seek clinical advice. In case of suspicious symptoms, the person should refrain from direct physical contact,” he adds in the statement of the DGS, which also points out that the disease does not require specific treatment and is “usually selflimiting in weeks”.
“The UK has reported similar cases of ulcerative lesions confirmed to be infected with monkeypox virus. The DGS is monitoring the situation at national level and in collaboration with European institutions,” concludes the statement sent to the media by the health authority. .
This rare variant of smallpox was discovered in the UK on May 7, and diagnosed in a person who reportedly contracted the infection after traveling to Nigeria.
In 2003, 43 people were identified with the virus in the United States. A small outbreak was recorded in the UK in 2018.