Italy and Sweden became the latest countries on Thursday to report cases of the rare disease, monkeypox, with Britain, Spain, Portugal and the United States already dealing with the outbreak.
Monkeypox occurs in Central and West Africa, often in proximity to tropical rainforests, and is considered endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it was first discovered in humans in 1970.
The illness can be transmitted from person to person through air droplets, close bodily contact or sharing contaminated linens or objects.
According to the Swedish public health agency, one person is infected in the greater Stockholm area.
“The person infected with the virus in Sweden is not seriously ill, but is receiving treatment.
“We do not yet know where the person became infected.
“The investigation into this is ongoing,” infectious disease expert, Klara Sonden, said in a statement.
A first monkeypox infection has also been detected in Italy.
Alessio D’Amato, the health chief of the Lazio region, said the case had been confirmed at Italy’s National Institute for Infectious Diseases.
Local report said the infected man had returned from a trip to Spain’s Canary Islands and was in isolation in a hospital in Rome.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), already busy with the coronavirus pandemic, which has struck the world over the past three years, has called for vigorous contact tracing of the spate of cases.
The general public and health clinics should be aware and have unusual skin rashes examined by specialist staff, the WHO said.
