Kosovo detects first case of monkeypox after man returns from Africa

Health authorities in Kosovo said Friday they had detected the country’s first case of monkeypox (monkey pox), in a man who recently returned from Africa.

The Kosovo Public Health Institute said a 30-year-old Kosovar citizen was admitted to hospital on Dec. 24 after returning from a West African country. He did not specify the name of this country.

“His symptoms were fever, chills and skin changes on the face and hands,” the institute said in a statement, adding that the patient appeared stable.

Health authorities traced everyone the patient had contact with and provided recommendations on infection prevention and control measures.

The World Health Organization declared in late November that the smallpox outbreak continued to represent a public health emergency.

The agency declared an emergency in August, when a new form of smallpox spread from the hard-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.

Monkeypox is a generally mild viral infection. Symptoms include fever, headache and skin lesions.