Belgium first country to introduce quarantine for monkeypox cases

Belgium has become the first country to introduce a compulsory 21-day quarantine for monkeypox patients after reporting four cases of the disease in the last week.

Belgian health authorities took the decision on Friday, according to Belgian media. Monkeypox contact cases are not required to self-isolate but should remain vigilant particularly if they are in contact with vulnerable people.

Monkeypox is a disease in the same family as smallpox and symptoms include a distinct bumpy rash, a fever, sore muscles and a headache. Monkeypox is less deadly than smallpox, with a mortality rate below 4 percent, but experts are worried about the unusual spread of the disease beyond Africa where it usually circulates.

The Belgian Institute of Tropical Medicine has said the risk of a larger outbreak in the country was low, according to Belgian daily Le Soir.

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