“Infected persons will have to go into contact isolation until the injuries have healed.”
Belgium announcing a first-of-its-kind quarantine for those testing positive for monkeypox — after the virus usually found in certain African countries emerged in 12 other countries.
Published on
may 23, 2022
- Belgium reported 4 cases as of Monday; the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 92 cases worldwide.
- Monkeypox is related to the smallpox family of viruses. It's a "zoonotic" disease — meaning it spreads from animals to humans (such as through rodents) and then can spread from human-to-human through close bodily contact or even on sheets/clothing.
- In general, monkeypox is usually found in central and western African countries. According to the Associated Press, current cases "have so far been the less severe West African group of monkeypox viruses" but the source of initial transmission has not been determined at this time.
- Why It Matters: Recent history of the virus shows fatalities in fewer than 10% of cases (and as low as 1% in the West African viral group), but no deaths have been reported amongst current cases. The WHO describes this global outbreak as "a highly unusual event."
More Context: “This is not COVID. We need to slow it down, but it does not spread in the air and we have vaccines to protect against it," a former top WHO official said to the Associated Press.
First country introduces mandatory monkeypox quarantine as global cases rise
