Brazil’s Health Ministry has recorded and confirmed the first case of monkeypox on Thursday, June 9 by a 41-year-old man who had been to Europe.
Brazil is the third Latin American country to register cases of monkeypox after Argentina and Mexico. The first Brazilian person infected had traveled to both Spain and Portugal, the Health Ministry said in a statement. He was hospitalized for treatment and was in “good condition,” he said, adding that close contacts of his were under observation, according to The Guardian.
Monkeypox is an uncommon illness found primarily in West and Central Africa. It causes a spreading rash, fever, chills, and pains, among other symptoms, and is linked to smallpox but is less dangerous.
Nearly 1,000 cases of the disease have been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 29 countries where it is not endemic. The majority of them have been discovered in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Portugal, and Spain.
So far, the WHO says no deaths have been reported in countries where monkeypox is not endemic.
Brazil’s first case of monkeypox was confirmed on Thursday, June 9.
Monkeypox cases in people have occurred outside of Africa linked to international travel or imported animals, including cases in the United States, as well as Israel, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
The natural reservoir of monkeypox remains unknown. However, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) may harbor the virus and infect people.
