A suspicious case of monkey pox has been discovered in Greece. The first suspicious case of smallpox in monkeys is being assessed by the Greek health authorities. He is a tourist, a 29-year-old, who had traveled to Kefalonia with his holiday partner. 

The young man has skin rashes and other symptoms that are similar to those of monkey pox. Kefalonia health authorities, who assessed the event, characterize it as suspected monkey flakes.

After the UK recorded several cases of monkey pox infection last week, the mysterious disease reached Portugal and Spain, but also the United States and Canada. 

The spread has sounded the alarm because the viral disease, which is transmitted through close contact and was first detected in monkeys, occurs mainly in western and central Africa, while only occasionally elsewhere. 

Monkey pox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as lumps in the body. It is becoming more and more disturbing to the world at a time when we are emerging from the long and severe COVID-19 pandemic. 

The National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo has come up with a list of information about leaving the monkeys on Saturday evening, which gives the latest details and clarifications, issued by WHO health professionals. To date, no case of this infection has been registered in Kosovo.

Key facts

• Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
• Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
• Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.
• Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases can occur. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around 3-6%.
• Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.
• Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
• The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, a related orthopoxvirus infection which was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and causes less severe illness.
• Vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provided protection against monkeypox. Newer vaccines have been developed of which one has been approved for prevention of monkeypox
• An antiviral agent developed for the treatment of smallpox has also been licensed for the treatment of monkeypox.