New Delhi: Nine member-states of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden) registered 67 monkeypox cases in total from May 15 to 23, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.
“Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact with infectious material from skin lesions of an infected person, through respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact, and through fomites,” the Center said. The predominance in the current outbreak of diagnosed human monkeypox cases among men having sex with men and the nature of the presenting lesions in some cases suggest transmission occurred during sexual intercourse, ECDC said.
“There is a potential risk of human-to-animal transmission in Europe, therefore close intersectoral collaboration between human and veterinary public health authorities working from a ‘One Health’ perspective is needed to manage exposed pets and prevent the disease from being transmitted in wildlife,” the Center added.
ECDC will continue monitoring developments and updating its risk assessment as new data and information become available, the Center concluded.
(Vinayak)