Belgium detects first two monkeypox cases

Belgian health experts were due to meet on Friday after the country detected its first two cases of monkeypox, authorities said. That patient was also not seriously ill, according to Belgian media. Monkeypox is a usually mild viral infection.

Belgian health experts were due to meet on Friday after the country detected its first two cases of monkeypox, authorities said. The cases were diagnosed by virologists in different cities, though Flemish broadcaster VRTNWS said both patients had attended the same party in an undisclosed location. Reuters could not immediately confirm this.

The first infected person, diagnosed in Antwerp but whose place of residence was not reported, was not seriously ill and they and their partner were both in isolation, a spokesperson for Belgium's Agency for Care and Health said. The second case was a man from the region of Flemish Brabant, a Leuven-based virologist, Marc Van Ranst, said on Twitter. That patient was also not seriously ill, according to Belgian media.

Monkeypox is a usually mild viral infection. Symptoms include fever, headaches, and skin rashes. Several cases have been detected in Britain - where authorities are offering a smallpox vaccine to healthcare workers and others who may have been exposed - and a handful more in other parts of Europe.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)