Close to smallpox, this disease is currently considered much less serious and less contagious.
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Five confirmed cases of monkeypox were recorded in France on Tuesday May 24, according to a press release from Public Health France. Three infected people have been identified in Ile-de-France, one in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and a final one in Occitanie. “To date, in Europe, these cases have occurred mainly, but not exclusively, in men who have sex with men, without direct links with people returning from endemic areas”adds Public Health France.
Monkey pox, several cases of which have been detected in Europe and North America, is a rare disease originating in Africa which is generally cured spontaneously. Close to smallpox, it is however to this day considered much less serious and less contagious.
It is an infectious disease that is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals, most often rodents. But the virus was first discovered in 1958 in a group of macaques that were being studied for research purposes, hence its name, Inserm explains.
Faced with the cases identified, the High Authority for Health recommended on Tuesday to vaccinate adults, including health professionals, who have had risky contact with a patient.