Two new cases of the rare illness have been confirmed in the U.K. bringing the total nationwide number of infections to nine since the start of May, with 20 confirmed cases in Portugal.
One of the latest cases was detected in London, while the other was in the south east.
The first case recorded in England at the beginning of May was a traveller from Nigeria, but all the subsequent cases have not been linked to travel from endemic ares or the first case.
While on a small scale with just 36 suspected cases across the three countries, health experts have little knowledge of where people caught the virus.
There is a growing concern the disease may be spreading undetected through the community and possibly through a new route of transmission.
MONKEYPOX outbreak in UK, Portugal, Spain—CDC is very worried about transmission & warning that the UK outbreak could spread—Portugal & Spain also likely outbreak. #Monkeypox is fatal in ~1 in 10 cases, with severe disease & death more likely among kids.🧵https://t.co/8ui8qqhB92pic.twitter.com/FF2R31DJ0i
Monkeypox can cause a fever, body aches, enlarged lymph nodes and eventually a rash or painful, fluid-filled blisters on the face, hands and feet.
One version of Monkeypox is quite deadly and kills up to 10% of people infected but the version currently in England is more mild and its fatality rate is less than 1%.
It can transmit from animals to humans when an infected animal – such as a rodent or a primate – bites or scratches a person.
The virus can also spread from person to person via large respiratory droplets in the air, but these cannot travel more than a few feet.
Health officials say that it takes about two to fours weeks for the disease to subside and you must isolate during this time.
The U.S. has also recorded its first case of the virus in Massachusetts on May 18.
