Monkeypox cases could ‘accelerate’, warns top Europe health official

Paris, France - A top European health official warned on Friday that cases of the rare monkeypox virus could accelerate in the coming months, as the virus spread across Europe.

WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said that ‘as we enter the summer season... with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate’.

The virus, which causes distinctive pustules but is rarely fatal, has previously been seen in central and west Africa.

But over recent weeks cases have been detected in European countries including Portugal and Sweden as well as the United States, Canada and Australia, Kluge said, calling the spread ‘atypical’.

“All but one of the recent cases have no relevant travel history to areas where monkeypox is endemic,” he added.

The health official warned that transmission could be boosted by the fact that ‘the cases currently being detected are among those engaging in sexual activity’, and many do not recognise the symptoms.

Most initial cases of the disease have been among men who have sex with men and sought treatment at sexual health clinics, Kluge said, adding ‘this suggests that transmission may have been ongoing for some time’.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is investigating the fact that many cases reported were people identifying as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.

The official’s statement came as France, Belgium and Germany reported their first cases of monkeypox and Italy confirmed it now had three linked cases of the disease.

Belgium’s three confirmed cases of monkeypox were on Friday linked a large-scale fetish festival in the port city of Antwerp, organisers of the Darklands Festival said.

French authorities said the virus had infected 29-year-old man living in the area that includes Paris.

In Spain, the health ministry has reported seven confirmed cases, and has said it is awaiting confirmation on 23 more.

But a regional health official said the authorities had recorded 21 confirmed cases in the Madrid region, most linked to a gayfriendly sauna in the heart of the capital. It was likely these figures had not yet been included in the nationwide tally.

Portugal has recorded 23 confirmed cases.

UK health officials on Friday reported 11 more confirmed cases in England, taking its total to 20.

The UK Health Security Agency’s chief medical adviser, Susan Hopkins, said she expected ‘this increase to continue in the coming days and for more cases to be identified in the wider community’.