Luxembourg records two more monkeypox cases

Two more people have been infected with the monkeypox virus in Luxembourg, the Ministry of Health said on Friday, a week after the first case was detected in the country.

The two people were described as being in a "good condition" by the Ministry in a statement issued on Friday evening. 

There have now been more than 3,000 reported infections across the globe since a cluster of cases was detected in the United Kingdom at the beginning of May. 

Monkeypox is a viral infection and symptoms – such as a fever - start to show a week or two after contracting the virus. Patients then have a rash which can last for weeks. 

The virus is transmitted through close contact and the World Health Organization has said reported cases have to date "involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men".

"This outbreak represents the first time that cases of monkeypox have been reported in many countries at the same time, including in countries where the virus has not previously been detected," the WHO said in guidance published on its website on Friday.  

Current infections seem less deadly than in previous outbreaks and children are at higher risk than adults, experts have said. The EU last week placed an order for around 100,000 doses of a vaccine against the virus.   

Luxembourg's Health Ministry has urged anyone with symptoms – such as a rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue – to get in touch with the national infectious diseases service and to avoid close contact with others.   

There is no need for great concern yet about monkeypox, Claude Muller, a virology expert at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, said in an interview last week.

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