:quality(75)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/elcomercio/EYRGONWLWZCLBO5HNQAGDHM5XY.jpg "Portugal confirms 14 cases of monkeypox and fears an increase")
Portugal has confirmed 14 cases of the monkey pox or “monkeypox” and keeps almost a dozen other suspicious cadres under observation, according to the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS).
To the five cases that the DGS initially reported on Wednesday, nine more have been added and the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) has two other samples under analysis, DGS added in a statement.
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Besides, close to a dozen suspected cases are being monitored, with samples that have not yet been analyzed.
Cases identified so far they have “clinical monitoring” and are “stable”.
The DGS continues “with epidemiological investigations” to “identify chains of transmission and potential new cases and respective contacts.”
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Monkeypox, of the Orthopoxvirus genus, is a rare disease transmissible through contact with animals or close contact with infected people or contaminated materials.
“It does not spread easily between humans”, The entity has clarified, which has recalled that there is no specific treatment and that the disease is “usually self-limited in weeks.”
It also recommends seeking medical advice for those who present ulcerative lesions, skin rash, palpable nodes, possibly accompanied by fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and tiredness. The first cases in Europe were reported last Sunday by the United Kingdom, which reported 4 confirmed cases with no history of travel to risk areas.
The first human cases were identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970 and the number has been increasing over the last decade in West and Central African countries.
Source: Elcomercio
