The health authorities in the Helsinki metropolitan area suspect that they have found Finland’s first monkey pox virus infection.
Traces of the orthopoxvirus were found in an adult male patient, the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) reported in its press release on Wednesday morning.
The monkey poxvirus is one of the human orthopoxic viruses, including variola, vaccinia and vaccinia viruses. Confirmation of suspected monkey pox infection will be available by the end of next week, when sequencing of samples is complete.
HUS added that they believe the patient became infected during the trip to Europe. The man has blisters, high fever and is currently in home care.
People who have been in close contact with an infected person have been tracked down and instructed to isolate themselves to prevent the virus from spreading.
Several cases found in Europe
Monkey pox is a viral infection that commonly occurs in Africa. The virus has two forms, a milder West African strain and a more serious Central African form.
It is usually caught by infected wildlife and does not usually spread very easily between people, which requires very close contact.
However, dozens of cases of the virus have been reported in Europe and North America in recent weeks, especially among individuals who had not traveled to areas where monkey pox is endemic.
An infected person may develop a rash similar to chickenpox or syphilis that begins on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. Other early symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue before the rash begins.
In most cases, the virus will heal within a few weeks. However, serious illness is possible, especially in people whose immune systems are weakened due to other illnesses or drug treatments, the HUS bulletin added.