Health Ministry: No monkeypox cases detected in Turkey

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No cases of monkeypox have so far been reported in Turkiye, the country's Health Ministry said yesterday (May 22).

The disease is known to be endemic to parts of Africa, but a growing outbreak in several European and North American countries has raised concerns that the virus may be spreading around the globe.

Over 100 suspected or confirmed cases have recently been detected in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

A statement by the Health Ministry explained that the viral illness is usually self-limiting with symptoms lasting between 14 to 21 days.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is not a new disease. The DNA virus was initially discovered in monkeys in 1958, which is how its name originated.

The first human case was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

Monkeypox is a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox and has symptoms that are very similar but clinically less severe.

It has two main strains: West African and Congo Basin (Central African).

West African, the milder of the two, is the one that scientists believe is currently causing infections outside Africa, although that will only be confirmed once the required analyses are done. (RT/VK)