Confirmed Monkeypox Cases Up To 51 In France - Sante Publique

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2022) The number of confirmed monkeypox cases in France has surpassed 50, more than 20 of the people traveled abroad before the onset of their symptoms, the French public health agency, Sante Publique, reports.

"As of June 3, 2022 at 2 p.m. (12:00 GMT), 51 confirmed cases of Monkeypox have been reported in France," Sante Publique said in its latest update, adding that all of the cases subject to investigation were men aged between 22 and 63 years.

No monkeypox-related deaths have been reported.

"To date, as in other European countries, these cases have occurred mainly, but not exclusively, in men who have sex with men (MSM), with no direct link to people returning from endemic areas," Sante Publique specified, adding that "22 traveled abroad before the onset of their symptoms, some of them to several different countries."

Among those infected with monkeypox in France, trips have been reported to the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Morocco and India.

Over 640 monkeypox cases have been registered in 26 non-endemic countries by early June, Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Lead at the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme Maria Van Kerkhove said on Thursday. She specified that the highest infection rate was observed in the United Kingdom with 190 cases, Spain with 142 cases, Portugal with 119 cases, and Germany with 44 cases.

Most people usually recover from monkeypox within a few weeks without treatment. The symptoms are initially flu-like, such as fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes, which are then followed by a widespread rash.

The monkeypox virus is not easily transmitted and usually spreads through close physical contact, including sexual contact, with an infected individual. Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease (spread between animals and people). It originates in animals like rodents and primates and occurs in remote parts of Central and West Africa.