No monkeypox case in Turkey: Ministry

ANKARA

No monkeypox case has been detected in Turkey until now, the public health authority affiliated with the country’s Health Ministry has said.

“The developments about monkeypox are followed closely. There has not been a case detected until now,” the authority said in a written statement on May 22.

Cases of the smallpox-related disease haven’t previously been seen among people with no links to Central and West Africa. However, last week, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the U.S., Sweden and Canada all reported infections, mostly in young men who hadn’t previously traveled to Africa.

France, Germany, Belgium and Australia confirmed their first cases of monkeypox on May 20.

Monkeypox typically causes fever, chills, a rash and lesions on the face or genitals. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the disease is fatal for about one in 10 people, but smallpox vaccines are protective and some antiviral drugs are also being developed.

“Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease that originated in wild animals and is rarely transferred to humans,” the statement said. “The symptoms of the disease go away on its own in a duration between 14 and 21 days.”

Calling it a “rare viral infection,” the authority announced that the disease may transmit to humans from infected squirrels.