First case of monkeypox reported in the Czech Republic

The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the Czech Republic, Pavel Dlouhý, head of the Czech Society for Infectious Diseases, told the SeznamZpravy server today.

The State Health Institute (SZU) has confirmed the infection. The patient is in the Central Military Hospital in Prague, Dlouhý said.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease similar to human smallpox, usually with milder symptoms.

Monkeypox does not usually spread easily between people, but it can be passed through close person-to-person contact or contact with items used by a person who has monkeypox, such as clothes, bedding or utensils.

Several European countries have recently reported cases of monkeypox, for example, Britain, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, and Austria.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced today it registers 131 confirmed monkeypox cases and 106 suspicions in 19 countries where this disease does not occur commonly.

"This is a containable situation," particularly in Europe, said WHO expert on emerging diseases Maria van Kerkhove. "But we can't take our eye off the ball with what's happening in Africa, in countries where it's endemic."

The outbreaks are atypical, according to the WHO, occurring in countries where the virus does not regularly circulate. Scientists are seeking to understand the origin of the cases and whether anything about the virus has changed.