Currently, there are now 237 confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox outside Africa.
Where is the virus spreading?
The Czech Republic: The disease was detected in a man at Prague's Military University Hospital. The Czech National Institute of Public Health said in a statement Tuesday that the sick Czech had shown symptoms of the disease after returning from a music festival in Antwerp, Belgium in early May.
Austria: a man, who was hospitalised in Vienna on Sunday with symptoms of monkeypox, including fever, has been confirmed to have contracted the disease, the capital's health authorities said.
Slovenia: A man, who developed symptoms after returning from the Canary Islands, has also been confirmed to have monkeypox, according to health authorities.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
Most people recover within about two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalized, monkeypox can be fatal for up to 6% of cases and is thought to be more severe in children.
Smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox and anti-viral drugs are also being developed.
What WHO said on Monkeypox?
Meanwhile, World Health Organization (WHO) said that outbreak of monkeypox cases outside of Africa can be contained. That number is expected to increase, WHO officials have said, but most of the infections so far have not been severe.
Scientists do not expect the outbreak to evolve into a pandemic like COVID-19, given the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2. Monkeypox is a usually mild viral infection that is endemic in parts of west and central Africa.
(With inputs from agencies)
