Monkeypox is the new Coronavirus. Will countries impose isolation measures because of it? Well, it might happen.
According to news agency IANS, Belgium has introduced a 21-day monkeypox quarantine as 14 countries confirm outbreaks of the virus and doctors warn of a significant increase in cases in the UK. After three cases of the virus have been reported in Belgian, health authorities have instructed citizens to self-isolate for three weeks.
According to the Daily Mail, all of the infections have been linked to a festival in Antwerp, which began on Friday. Doctors are warning that there is a ‘significant’ increase in infections in the UK and that the government needs to act fast to contain them.
It is also being feared that the outbreak could have a ‘massive impact’ on access to sexual health services in Britain, according to Dr Claire Dewsnap, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV. Twenty Britons have been infected with this virus, including one British child who is in critical condition in a London hospital, and another 100 infections have been recorded in Europe.
About Monkeypox
It is a rare viral infection, which usually affects people living in tropical areas of west and central Africa. It can be transmitted through very close contact with an infected individual. The disease is usually mild, with most patients recovering without treatment within a few weeks. However, the strain responsible for the current outbreak can prove fatal, killing one in 100 patients.
According to the Daily Mail, the disease can be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact or sexual contact.