Bahrain detects first case of monkeypox

Kingdom is latest Gulf nation to report the virus, found in a recent traveller from Europe

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Bahrain is the latest country in the Middle East to detect a first case of monkeypox, days after Egypt and Jordan also recorded their first infections.

The island kingdom’s ministry of health said a symptomatic patient had tested positive for the virus after returning from overseas.

On September 8, health authorities in Jordan said a 30-year-old man and in Egypt, a 42-year-old person, tested positive.

Both had travelled to Europe.

So far, monkeypox has spread to more than 102 countries with about 57,000 cases detected, according to the latest figures from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typical symptoms of the virus include distinctive sores or skin blisters, fever, headaches, fatigue and fever.

There are several modes of transmission for monkeypox, including skin-to-skin contact, kissing, or touching infected materials such as bed linen.

It is fatal in fewer than one case in 10, with most people making a full recovery within a few weeks.

An American man in Los Angeles County, California, is thought to be the first US citizen to die from the virus, although the exact cause of death is still under investigation.

The US has pledged $15 million to address the global outbreak via the US Agency for International Development.

Low and middle-income countries will benefit from the fund, which offers technical assistance, diagnostic tests, laboratory tools, protective equipment and public education.

The first case of monkeypox in the UAE was detected in May.

Updated: September 16, 2022, 11:10 AM