Israel Confirmed First Case Of Monkeypox In The Country

WHO says Nearly 100 Cases Across The Globe!

Israel has confirmed its first case of the viral infection in a man who returned from abroad.

Meanwhile, On Sunday, US President Joe Biden said that the global monkeypox situation was something “to be concerned about”.

As of Saturday, the WHO said 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected ones had been reported from 12 member states that are not endemic for the virus.

Israeli authorities said they have detected the country's first case of monkeypox in a man who returned from abroad and were looking into other suspected cases. They have asked all those returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor.

The man has been admitted to a hospital in Tel Aviv and is in ‘good condition’ at present.

This case appears to be the first identified one in the Middle East.

In the first public comments on monkeypox, On Sunday, US President Biden said, “It is a concern that if it were to spread it would be consequential."

He was asked about the disease as he spoke to reporters at Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he visited troops before taking off for Japan to continue his first trip to Asia as US President.

“They haven't told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,” Biden said. He added that work was underway to determine what vaccine might be effective.

The WHO has said it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found, and will provide further guidance and recommendations in coming days for countries on how to mitigate the spread of monkeypox.

According to the WHO, the recent outbreaks of monkeypox are ay-typical as they are occurring in countries where the virus does not regularly circulate. Scientists are seeking to understand the origin of the current cases and whether anything about the virus has changed.

Cases of the smallpox-related disease have previously been seen only among people with links to central and West Africa. But Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the US, Sweden and Canada all reported infections, mostly in young men who hadn't previously travelled to Africa. France, Germany, Belgium and Australia have also identified cases.

The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in an individual who returned to England from Nigeria.

According to scientists, the monkeypox outbreak will not evolve into a pandemic like Covid-19 as the virus does not spread as easily.

Fabian Leendertz, a researcher at the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, said, "It is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long. The cases can be well isolated via contact tracing and there are also drugs and effective vaccines that can be used if necessary.”