Europe, Belgium– Two cases of the monkey pox virus, which is steeply increasing in Europe, have been reported in the kingdom of Belgium.
The first case was recorded in the province of Antwerp, as well as the person in question is not very sick. The second case of monkey pox was discovered by a man from Flemish Brabant, announced virologist Marc Van Ranst on Friday.
He added, “People who recognise themselves with symptoms such as those in this picture should contact their doctor.”
The first case of the rare virus, which outbreaks are usually limited to Africa, was confirmed by Isabel Brosius from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp reports on Thursday evening.
Moreover, she mentioned in the statement, “It concerns someone who reported to us in Antwerp with complaints. Samples were taken and sent to a reference laboratory in the Netherlands, and this evening, we received final confirmation that it was the monkey pox virus. The person in question is not very ill.”
Although current data shows that the virus has limited transmissibility between people, infected persons are still asked to isolate themselves.
Brosius stated, “In principle, close and prolonged contact is needed. The likelihood of a large spread is rather small, but we are monitoring the situation closely.”
The symptoms of the virus included fever, body aches, enlarged lymph nodes and eventually “pox”, painful, fluid-filled blisters on the face, hands as well as feet.
Along with this, on Thursday, it was confirmed that the monkey pox virus is advancing in Europe, with cases has been noted in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. At the same time, it also has set foot in the United States of America. No deaths have been recorded as a result of the virus so far.
Furthermore, there are currently more than four suspected cases all over the three nations. Nine in the United Kingdom, 23 in both Spain and five in Portugal, mainly concentrated in their capital cities.
