Israeli authorities said they have detected the country’s first case of monkeypox in a man who returned from abroad.
Officials also said they are looking into other suspected cases.
Israel’s Health Ministry said the man is in a Tel Aviv hospital in a good condition. It called on anyone returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of public health services at the ministry, told Israeli Army Radio that medical teams are investigating other suspected monkeypox cases.
WHO expects there will be more cases of #monkeypox identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries https://t.co/8ewHPaN0VN pic.twitter.com/0pnhdZJdku
Advertisement— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 21, 2022
Israel’s case appeared to be the first identified in the Middle East.
The World Health Organisation has identified about 80 cases globally, and roughly 50 more suspected cases.
Cases of the smallpox-related disease have previously been seen only among people with links to central and West Africa.
But Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the US, Sweden and Canada have all reported infections, mostly in young men who had not previously travelled to Africa.
Current evidence suggests that those who are most at risk of being infected with #monkeypox are those who have had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox, while they are symptomatic. This includes health care workers https://t.co/8ewHPaN0VN pic.twitter.com/Dn6EI2pYhe
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 21, 2022
France, Germany, Belgium and Australia have also identified cases.
The virus originates in primates and other wild animals and causes fever, body aches, chills and fatigue in most patients.
People with severe cases can develop a rash and lesions on the face, hands and other parts of the body.
