Iranian health officials had reported nine suspected cases of monkeypox, a rare disease that used to be confined to Africa but has recently started showing up in other parts of the world.
The virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials such as bedding.
The disease is mild and usually non-fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the monkeypox cases in the US have not been linked to travel to countries where the virus typically spreads, suggesting that the virus is spreading in the community.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week that the monkeypox outbreak, while “not normal,” is still “containable.”
The number of confirmed cases of monkeypox cases worldwide has passed 220 outside of countries where it is endemic, according to an update released by the European Union’s disease agency.
