Media: Two monkeypox cases reported in Moscow region

Monkeypox has been identified in two patients in Russia’s Moscow region, according to media reports. Both individuals are currently being treated in isolation.

As reported by Baza, one of the patients sought medical attention after developing a rash on his face. He had been experiencing symptoms for approximately five days, during which his body temperature rose to as high as 39°C (102.2°F).

The patient told doctors that he has underlying health conditions, including an HIV infection, and that he had previously been treated for syphilis. Based on clinical findings, the medical staff made a preliminary diagnosis of monkeypox.

Health authorities are now compiling a list of people who may have been in close contact with the patients. A specialised team has also been dispatched to carry out the final disinfection of the building where the patients were located. Both individuals have been hospitalised at Domodedovo Hospital.

Monkeypox, also known as mpox, is a viral disease characterised by a skin rash or lesions affecting the skin or mucous membranes. Symptoms typically last between two and four weeks and may include fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.

The monkeypox virus was first identified in 1958 in Denmark in monkeys used for research. The first confirmed human case was reported in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After the global eradication of smallpox in 1980, mpox cases began to appear more frequently in parts of Central, East and West Africa.

In May 2022, a sudden outbreak of mpox spread rapidly across Europe, the Americas and all six regions of the World Health Organisation. Since then, the number of reported cases and related deaths has increased worldwide.

By Tamilla Hasanova