Eight cases of suspected monkeypox have been identified in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Madrid, El País reported.

According to it, against the background of the appearance of this information, the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom and regional authorities announced a medical alert. The National Center for Microbiology has tested individuals suspected of having a rare disease.

In recent days, cases of infection have been identified in the UK and Portugal.

The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that monkeypox is a rare viral disease that occurs mainly in remote areas in central and western Africa, located near tropical rainforests.

According to the WHO, the virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals such as rodents and primates, and its secondary spread through human-to-human transmission is limited. Typically, the case fatality rate for monkeypox outbreaks is between 1% and 10%, with the majority of deaths occurring in younger age groups, the organization said. There is no specific treatment or vaccine for monkeypox, but prior vaccination against smallpox also provides highly effective prevention of the disease.