A Massachusetts resident has tested positive for monkeypox, health officials confirmed, making it the first case of the rare virus detected in the United States this year.
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According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the patient is an adult male who recently traveled to Canada. The department completed initial testing and was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health authorities in Canada's Quebec province are investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious virus, public broadcaster CBC reported.
Health authorities in Spain issued an alert over a possible outbreak of the viral infection in the country.
The Spanish health ministry said eight suspected cases of the infection have been discovered in the Madrid region after eight men showed symptoms compatible with the infection, the Guardian reports.
It added that while the suspected cases are being analysed by the National Microbiology Centre to obtain a definitive diagnosis, a nationwide alert had been issued "to guarantee a swift, coordinated and timely response."
Five cases of human contamination with monkeypox have been identified in Portugal, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) announced.
Margarida Tavares, director of the National Program for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV Infection at the DGS, admitted that it is already an "outbreak," as there is an increase in cases "above what is expected."
Speaking at a press conference, the director said that the confirmed cases are all male and from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, having been detected in clinics that treat sexually transmitted diseases.
On the other hand, the Portuguese health authorities admitted that they still do not know the origin of the infections, nor if there are any relationships between the cases.
Tavares confirmed that this is the first time that an outbreak of monkeypox has been identified in Portugal and that the DGS is "monitoring the evolution because these are very recent cases."
According to information from the television channel CNN Portugal, a hospital source reported that there are another 20 suspected cases of the disease being investigated.
The Nigerian government has insisted that there is no Monkeypox outbreak in the country.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its recent update said it could not confirm the authenticity of the claim that the said traveller truly contracted the infection in Nigeria.
NCDC said: "On 7th May 2022, the NCDC was notified by the UK International Health Regulations (IHR) national focal point of a case of Monkeypox detected in a patient with recent travel history to Nigeria. The individual is a UK resident who arrived in Nigeria on 20th April 2022, travelled to Lagos and Delta States during the time spent in Nigeria, departed Lagos on 3rd May 2022 and arrived in the UK on 4th May 2022.
"While in Nigeria, the case did not report being in contact with anyone with symptoms of Monkeypox or other illness with rash. The diagnosis of Monkeypox (West African clade) was confirmed by PCR in the UK on 6th May 2022. The patient is currently stable and receiving care in the UK." ■