Belgium– The fourth case of the monkeypox virus has been reported in the country in Western Europe, according to the virologist Marc Van Ranst.
On the official Twitter account of the virologist, he confirmed the fourth monkeypox case. The fourth case is also linked to all of the three previous cases, to the international gay festival Darklands that took place in Antwerp at the starting of May, according to the reports.
Moreover, Van Ranst mentioned in the statement, “It is important that everyone who attended the Darklands Festival remains vigilant for any symptoms. If smallpox lesions are found, a sample can be taken in an emergency department, and close contact with other people should be avoided.”
As per the virologist, the scale of the outbreak is becoming “clearer and clearer, and he remarks that “this is unheard of before with monkeypox viruses.”
In een staal van een man uit de provincie Luik werd vandaag de aanwezigheid van het apenpokkenvirus gedetecteerd in het laboratorium van de KU/UZ Leuven. Dit is het vierde positief geval van apenpokken in ons land. pic.twitter.com/VsRm5u4UAC
— Marc Van Ranst (@vanranstmarc) May 21, 2022
Along with this, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it will soon release additional advice on what to do if one has been in close contact with a person infected with the virus.
Besides Belgium, monkeypox cases have been detected in the Netherlands, Germany, France, The United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Canada, the United States of America, Australia and most recently, Israel and Switzerland.
Furthermore, the Monkeypox virus is usually found only in West and Central Africa.
