WHO confirms 780 cases of monkeypox, 156 in Spain

Monkeypox is present in 27 countries in the world where the disease is not endemic

WHO considers the situation as a “moderate” risk since it is the first time that so many cases have been reported, according to Info Libre.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 780 cases of monkeypox in 27 countries. 

The WHO considers the situation as a “moderate risk given that this is the first time that many cases and clusters of monkeypox have been reported simultaneously in non-endemic and endemic countries in very disparate geographical areas”.

The UN agency notes that, so far, there have been no associated deaths within the current monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries, however, cases and deaths continue to be reported in endemic countries.

WHO indicates that the non-endemic countries with the most cases are the United Kingdom with 207, followed by Spain (156) and Portugal (138).

If you get infected with monkeypox, it usually takes between 5 and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear.

The first symptoms of monkeypox include: a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering (chills) and exhaustion

A rash usually appears 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, and then spreads to other parts of the body. This can include the genitals.

The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.

The symptoms usually clear up in a few weeks.

Monkeypox can be caught from infected rodents (such as rats, mice and squirrels) in parts of west and central Africa.
You can catch monkeypox from an infected animal if you’re bitten or you touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters or scabs.

It may also be possible to catch monkeypox by eating meat from an infected animal from central or west Africa that has not been cooked thoroughly, or by touching other products from infected animals (such as animal skin or fur).

Monkeypox can also spread from person to person through: touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, touching monkeypox skin blisters or scabs (including during sex) and the coughs or sneezes of a person with the monkeypox rash.

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