Jun 1, 2022 - Health
Portugal and Spain are at the center of the monkeypox outbreak as cases exceed 250
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Spanish and Portuguese health authorities said Wednesday that the total confirmed cases of monkeypox across both nations have exceeded 250, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The Iberian Peninsula has served as the epicenter of the recent outbreak, which has swept across several European countries as well as the U.S. The emergence of the virus is notable as it is rarely found outside of Africa.
- Spain has documented 142 cases, up from 132 the previous day. Portugal reports a total of 119 cases, also an increase from 100 the previous day.
The big picture: Transmission risk remains low globally, but health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have readied smallpox vaccines as a preventative measure.
- The growing monkeypox outbreak may appear alarming to people — triggering bad memories of the rapid spread of COVID over the globe — but it does not contain the same threat level as a pandemic, Axios' Eileen O'Reilly reports.
- Health officials have so far detected cases in much of Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Go deeper: Monkeypox symptoms to watch for as first U.S. outbreak cases reported
