Monkeypox spreads in West, baffling African scientists - The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Scientists who have monitored numerous outbreaks of monkeypox in Africa say they are baffled by the disease’s recent spread in Europe and North America.

Cases of the smallpox-related disease have previously been seen only among people with links to central and West Africa.

“This is not the kind of spread we’ve seen in West Africa, so there may be something new happening in the West,” he said.

Nigeria reports about 3,000 monkeypox cases a year, WHO said.

Outbreaks are usually in rural areas, where people have close contact with infected rats and squirrels, Tomori said.

Tomori hoped the appearance of monkeypox cases across Europe and other countries would further scientific understanding of the disease.

Authorities in Spain and Portugal also said their cases were in young men who mostly had sex with other men and said those cases were picked up when the men turned up with lesions at sexual health clinics.

“Aside from people in west and Central Africa who may have some immunity to monkeypox from past exposure, not having any smallpox vaccination means nobody has any kind of immunity to monkeypox,” Happi said.