Turkey reports first monkeypox case

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Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca, in a message on his social media account today (June 30), has announced that the first case of monkeypox virus has been detected in Turkey in a 37-year-old patient.

Minister Koca has said, "Monkeypox was detected in one of our patients. The patient is 37 years old, and has an immune deficiency."

The patient is currently in isolation and no other case has been detected in the ensuing contact tracing, the Minister has added.

"As we know, this disease is transmitted not via respiratory droplets, but through close physical contact," he has also remarked.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is considering whether to declare monkeypox a global emergency, which would give it the same distinction as the COVID-19 pandemic and require a global response.

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus. The disease could begin with fever, enlarged lymph nodes, back pain, and muscle aches before a rash appears on the skin.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that monkeypox is likely more widespread than official numbers indicate and urged vigilance. "Person-to-person transmission is ongoing and is likely underestimated," he has warned further. (AS/SD)