من الأشهر اليوم؟

Eleven new cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the UK, the health secretary has said. Sajid Javid tweeted that he had updated G7 health ministers on what is known about the spread of the virus. There are now 20 cases recorded in the UK.
He said: “Most cases are mild, and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against monkeypox.”
The UK Government has some stocks of the smallpox vaccine, which can be effective against monkeypox as the viruses are quite similar. This is being offered to very close contacts of those who have been affected.
Monkeypox cases are usually found in West Africa, and the virus does not often spread elsewhere. That is why outbreaks reported across Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States have caused alarm among public health experts.
The disease, which was first discovered in monkeys, is usually mild but can cause severe illness in some cases. Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, which then spreads to other parts of the body including the genitals. The rash can look like chickenpox or syphilis, and scabs can form which then fall off.
The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from six to 13 days but can range from five to 21 days. The cases in the UK are not all one cluster, with separate cases springing up that are unconnected.
The first case identified was in a person who had returned from Nigeria but other cases are unrelated to travel, suggesting there is community transmission. Several cases have been confirmed in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men who have attended sexual health services.
Monkeypox is not normally a sexually-transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by direct contact during sex. It can also be spread through touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, and through the coughs and sneezes of somebody with the infection.
European cases
Health officials across Europe have reported confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus, including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal and Italy.
Regional authorities in Madrid reported 14 confirmed cases of monkeypox on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 21 in Spain. There are another 20 suspected cases, 19 in the central region of Madrid and one in the Canary Islands, health authorities said on Friday.
Spain is assessing different therapeutic options, such as antivirals and vaccines, but so far all cases have mild symptoms and therefore no specific ad hoc treatment has been necessary, Spanish Health minister Carolina Darias told reporters on Friday.
Meanwhile, Germany has detected its first case of monkeypox, the German armed forces’ medical service said on Friday. “The Institute for Microbiology of the German Armed Forces in Munich has now also detected the monkeypox virus beyond doubt for the first time in Germany on 19 May 2022 in a patient with characteristic skin lesions,” the service said in a statement.
French health authorities on Friday confirmed a first case of the virus in the Paris region, several French media outlets reported, one day after news of a first suspected case emerged.
Belgian health experts were due to meet on Friday after the country detected its first two cases of monkeypox, authorities said. The cases were diagnosed in different cities, though Flemish broadcaster VRTNWS said both patients had attended the same party in an undisclosed location. Reuters could not immediately confirm this.
A leading virologist said the number of cases in the country would probably rise. “I do expect more cases,” said Steven Van Gucht from national public health institute Sciensano.
Portuguese authorities said on Thursday that the 14 cases confirmed in the country were all reported in the area surrounding the capital city of Lisbon.
In Rome, the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital said on Thursday it had confirmed one case of monkeypox in a patient who had recently travelled to Spain’s Canary Islands.
Sweden’s public health agency also reported one case on Thursday, saying it remained unclear how the patient became infected.
Transmission
Monkeypox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe – with up to 10 per cent mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate in about 1 per cent of cases.
Monkeypox has not previously been documented to have spread through sex, but can be transmitted through close contact with infected people, their clothing or bedsheets.
The US state of Massachusetts on Wednesday reported one case of monkeypox in a man who recently travelled to Canada, prompting officials to probe potential links to the outbreak in Europe.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said on Thursday two cases of monkeypox have been detected in the province of Quebec, the first confirmed cases in Canada.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on Thursday that the probability of transmission without close contact is low.
But it warned that “the likelihood of further spread of the virus through close contact, for example during sexual activities, is considered to be high”.
It recommended that authorities and community organisations raise awareness of the outbreak among men who have sex with other men or who have casual sex or multiple partners.
Suspected cases should be isolated, it said, and the smallpox vaccine administered to high-risk close contacts.
A vaccine developed against smallpox has been approved for monkeypox, and several antivirals also appear to be effective.
Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the World Health Organisation says the disease is fatal for up to one in 10 infected people.
Sporadic cases of monkeypox have been seen previously in countries including Britain and the US, but nearly all have been in people who were likely to have been infected during their travels in Africa. – AP
Additonal reporting: Reuters