As Summer Travel Gears up, the Monkeypox Virus Threatens
By Milan Korcok
The swift emergence of Monkeypox in at least a dozen nations ranging as far afield as Europe, North America and Australia has caught the attention of international health authorities as the summer travel season shifts into high gear.
According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, as of May 26, 2022, over 100 cases of this rare viral infection have either been confirmed or are pending test results in Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, United States, Canada and Australia.
Though the Monkeypox virus has so far yielded a mortality rate of less than four percent among humans, it is capable of generating a disfiguring rash that can be itchy, painful, and may require affected patients to quarantine for up to 21 days. In fact, Belgium and the UK have already introduced such quarantines.
According to Schengen, the majority of cases (mostly clustered in Spain) have been traced to an adult sauna party in Madrid and a Gay Pride festival on Canary Island. Additional cases have been traced to the Darklands Festival in Belgium (a multi-day festival attended largely by gay men), and several new cases have been reported in Portugal and Italy—primarily among young men believed to have visited Canary Island.
Schengen notes that although few countries have introduced travel restrictions against the virus, Hans Kluge, regional director of the World Health Organisation has warned that stricter restrictions might have to be applied in the EU.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Monkeypox is a viral disease that occurs mostly in central and western Africa. It is called monkeypox because it was first identified in laboratory monkeys. However, it is much more common among animals such as rats, mice, rabbits, and the African Squirrel.
Milan Korcok is a national award wining medical writer who has been covering international medical and travel health issues for leading professionals journal in the United States, Canada, and the UK for many years. He works and resides in Florida.