2022–2023 mpox outbreak in portugal 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in portugal the 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in portugal is part of the larger outbreak of human mpox caused by the west african clade of the monkeypox virus. portugal was the third country, outside of the african countries with endemic mpox, to experience an outbreak in 2022. 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in portugaldiseasempoxvirus strainmonkeypox virus (west african clade)locationportugalindex caselisbon, portugalarrival date18 may 2022 (11 months, 3 weeks and 4 days ago)dateas of 7 july 2022confirmed cases433 background these paragraphs are an excerpt from mpox and 2022–2023 mpox outbreak. mpox (pronounced /ˈɛmpɒks/ em-poks, formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. the time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. there may be mild symptoms, and it may occur without any symptoms being apparent. cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems. the disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a zoonotic virus in the genus orthopoxvirus. the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is also in this genus. of the two types (called "clades") in humans, clade ii (formerly west african clade) causes a less severe disease than the central african (congo basin) type. it may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches. human-to-human transmission can occur through exposure to infected body fluids or contaminated objects, by small droplets, and possibly through the airborne route. people can spread the virus from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and fallen off; with some evidence of spread for more than a week after lesions have crusted. diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's dna. there is no known cure. a study in 1988 found that the smallpox vaccine was around 85% protective in preventing infection in close contacts and in lessening the severity of the disease. a newer smallpox and mpox vaccine based on modified vaccinia ankara has been approved, but with limited availability. other measures include regular hand washing and avoiding sick people and animals. antiviral drugs, cidofovir and tecovirimat, vaccinia immune globulin and the smallpox vaccine may be used during outbreaks. the illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment. estimates of the risk of death vary from 1% to 10%, although few deaths as a consequence of mpox have been recorded since 2017. an ongoing outbreak of mpox was confirmed on 6 may 2022, beginning with a british resident who, after travelling to nigeria (where the disease is endemic), presented symptoms consistent with mpox on 29 april 2022. the resident returned to the united kingdom on 4 may, creating the country's index case of the outbreak. the origin of several of the cases of mpox in the united kingdom is unknown. some monitors saw community transmission taking place in the london area as of mid-may, but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in europe in the previous months. transmission stages of lesion development. a large portion of those infected were believed to have not recently traveled to areas of africa where mpox is normally found, such as nigeria, the democratic republic of the congo as well as central and western africa. it is believed to be transmitted by close contact with sick people, with extra caution for those individuals with lesions on their skin or genitals, along with their bedding and clothing. the cdc has also stated that individuals should avoid contact and consumption of dead animals such as rats, squirrels, monkeys and apes along with wild game or lotions derived from animals in africa. in addition to more common symptoms, such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes or lesions, some patients have also experienced proctitis, an inflammation of the rectum lining. cdc has also warned clinicians to not rule out mpox in patients with sexually transmitted infections since there have been reports of co-infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes. history on 18 may 2022, portugal reported five cases in men and 15 suspected cases. at the end of may, 96 people were confirmed to have mpox, before the amount reached 153 after the first week of june. as of 7 july, there were 433 confirmed cases in the country.