First suspected monkeypox case reaches Latin America

Argentina’s Health Ministry reported on Sunday that it has detected the first suspected case of monkeypox in Latin America.

The patient, a man from Buenos Aires province, returned from Spain on May 16, amid a surge in the disease in European countries. He is isolated and symptomatic but in overall good condition.

So far, 15 countries outside of the areas of Africa where the disease is endemic have reported cases of the disease, most of them in North America and Western Europe. 

According to the World Health Organization, the virus is transmitted from person to person by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials. The disease is very rarely fatal but can cause complications in children, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised.

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