ATHENS, May 22 /TASS/. The National Public Health Organization of Greece, also known as EODY, on Saturday said the country possibly registered its first monkeypox case as it’s awaiting the results of lab tests.
"The first possible case of monkeypox infection in Greece is being investigated," it said in a statement. "This is an English tourist who, together with his companion, asymptomatic, has been placed at the Attikon Hospital in order to be treated in negative pressure rooms."
"EODY received samples for an examination, which were sent to the reference laboratory and the results will be available on Monday," the statement said.
The World Health Organization said there are about 80 confirmed monkeypox cases as of now, and about 50 more are being investigated. The WHO said the outbreaks in the 11 countries that reported them were unusual because these countries aren’t endemic for the disease.
About the disease
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease mainly transmitted to humans by contact with infected wild animals (rodents or primates). The human-to-human transmission is limited, as it requires close contact. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, backache, swelling in the lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. It may be followed by a rash on the face and body.
The WHO says that mortality rates from the monkeypox outbreaks had been usually from 1% to 10%, though most fatalities were recorded in younger age groups. There is no specific treatment or a vaccine for monkeypox, but the vaccines previously used to eradicate smallpox provide highly effective protection against this disease.
The monkeypox virus, which spread in some Western European countries in April and May, has also been detected on other continents. Overall, at least 11 countries, namely Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, have recently reported cases of monkeypox.