They are getting closer cases of monkeypox identified as of August 16 in 43 countries and areas throughout the European region are now at an altitude of 20 thousand (19,429) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Of these, 18,960 cases were reported from 36 countries / areas to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO European Regional Office through the Tessy surveillance system, of which 18,847 laboratory confirmed. This was announced by ECDC and WHO Europe in the latest update on the Monkeypox epidemic, in which 662 cases are indicated for Italy, in line with the latest national bulletin.
Of the cases recorded on Tessy for which sequencing was available, 288 were confirmed as belonging to the West Africa ‘clade’. Most of the cases concern people aged between 31 and 40 years (40%) and males (98.9% of those infected). Among those infected for whom HIV status is known, 38% are HIV-positive to the AIDS virus. In most cases, the infection presented with a rash (77.1%) and systemic symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, sore throat or headache (65%) . In 5.8% of cases (505) there was a hospitalization. Three patients were admitted to the ICU, including one for reasons unrelated to monkeypox infection. The other two infected who entered resuscitation died, according to reports from monkeypox.
Some infections among those reported (57) concern health workers, but for them – it is specified in the Ecdc / WHO bulletin – no occupational exposure has been reported.