First case of Monkeypox in Argentina; virus found in man travelling from Spain | Top developments
India Today
The monkeypox virus has now spread to Argentina, with health officials confirming the first positive case in a man who had travelled from Spain. They also reported a suspected case of the virus in another person. Here are all the latest developments about the monkeypox virus.
Argentina reported its case of the monkeypox virus on Friday, May 27, in a man who recently travelled to Spain. It also reported a suspected case of the rare virus in another person.
A man from the province of Buenos Aires has monkeypox, Argentina's health ministry said in a statement.
An official in the ministry earlier confirmed the positive case but said health authorities were waiting to finish sequencing the virus before making the official announcement.
It is the first time the presence of the virus has been confirmed in Latin America during this latest outbreak in countries around the world that are not usually known to have outbreaks.
Spain emerged as the epicentre of this recent outbreak, and health authorities confirmed on Friday that there were 98 confirmed cases in the country. The United Kingdom has reported 106 confirmed cases, while Portugal said on Friday the number of people with monkeypox had increased to 74.
Cases have also been reported in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France and Italy, among others.
The monkeypox virus originates in wild animals like rodents and primates, and occasionally jumps onto people. It belongs to the same virus family as smallpox.
