Portugal starts vaccination against monkeypox

LISBON: Portugal started the vaccination for those who had contact with the confirmed cases of the Monkeypox virus, said the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS).

The Portuguese Health authority on Thursday had confirmed a total of 588 cases of Monkeypox in the country as of Thursday since the first case reported on May 3, with 73 detected last week, Xinhua news agency reported.

Eligible contacts in different regions of Portugal continue to be identified and given vaccination, the DGS added.

The most common symptoms of the disease are fever, severe headache, muscle pain, back pain, tiredness, and enlarged lymph nodes with the progressive appearance of rashes that affect the skin and mucous membranes.