Cases of monkeypox (MPX) acquired in the EU have recently been reported in nine EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands) and the UK. Monkeypox (MPX) does not spread easily between people. Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact with infectious material from skin lesions of an infected person, through respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact, and fomites. The predominance, in the current outbreak, of diagnosed human MPX cases among men having sex with men (MSM), and the nature of the presenting lesions in some cases, suggest transmission occurred during sexual intercourse. Based on ECDC’s epidemiological assessment, the likelihood of MPX spreading in persons having multiple sexual partners is considered high. Although most cases in current outbreaks have presented mild disease symptoms, the monkeypox virus (MPXV) may cause severe disease in certain population groups (young children, pregnant women, immunosuppressed persons).
If you have been at risk of contact or in contact with an infected person we can offer a PCR test to detect if you have been infected or not.