[ti:Monkeypox Possibly Spread in Europe at Large Dance Parties]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.04]A top adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO)
[00:04.52]says the current monkeypox virus spread in Europe
[00:08.96]probably began at big dance parties in Spain and Belgium.
[00:13.96]The expert, Dr. David Heymann, says the virus most likely passed
[00:20.04]from one person to another through sexual activity at the events.
[00:24.48]The WHO says there are at least 90 cases of monkeypox
[00:31.32]in Europe, Australia and North America.
[00:35.00]Heymann is a professor of infectious disease
[00:38.60]spread at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
[00:43.60]and former chief of health and security at the WHO.
[00:48.92]"It looks like sexual contact has now amplified that transmission,"
[00:54.68]Heymann told the Associated Press.
[00:58.60]Denmark reported a first case of the disease on Monday.
[01:04.44]The WHO says there are more than 90 cases of monkeypox
[01:09.00]in 12 countries including Canada, Spain,
[01:12.92]Israel, France, Switzerland, the U.S. and Australia.
[01:19.08]The top health leader in the Spanish capital, Madrid,
[01:23.56]said the city has 30 cases so far.
[01:27.60]Health officials are investigating a Gay Pride event
[01:32.64]attended by 80,000 people in the Canary Islands
[01:37.08]as a possible source of the outbreak.
[01:40.88]They are also investigating a gay-friendly business
[01:44.68]known as a sauna in Madrid.
[01:47.84]In Spain, a sauna is known as a place
[01:51.52]where gay men can go to have sex.
[01:55.24]Most monkeypox patients experience a high temperature,
[02:00.00]pain around the body, and tiredness.
[02:03.04]More severe cases cause a raised rash and open skin wounds.
[02:10.12]It is not considered a sexually transmitted infection
[02:14.44]but close skin contact can cause spread.
[02:19.48]Most people get better in weeks and do not require hospitalization.
[02:25.84]The WHO said the version of monkeypox in the current outbreak
[02:31.16]is similar to an outbreak detected in Great Britain,
[02:35.92]Nigeria, Israel and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.
[02:43.12]The WHO said it is less severe
[02:47.16]than past cases reported by countries in West Africa.
[02:52.76]The agency said the wide spread of the virus is "highly unusual"
[02:59.20]and believes it may have been spreading without notice for a while.
[03:05.84]The virus develops in the human body
[03:09.72]from about five days to three weeks after infection.
[03:14.48]Most people recover within about two to four weeks
[03:20.56]without needing to stay at a hospital.
[03:25.04]Health officials in Great Britain said a large number of the cases
[03:29.40]are being seen in young men with no history of travel to Africa.
[03:35.60]Heymann said it is possible there was one infected person
[03:41.08]who then spread it to others at a large event
[03:44.80]where they were in close contact with many people.
[03:48.80]"There were these international events
[03:51.76]that seeded the outbreak around the world,
[03:54.84]into the U.S. and other European countries," he said.
[03:59.92]He noted that monkeypox is not as worrisome as COVID-19
[04:05.00]because it does not spread through the air.
[04:08.40]Heymann said it is important to slow down its spread
[04:13.32]"but we have vaccines to protect against it."
[04:16.76]However, he noted there should be studies right away
[04:21.60]to find out if people who do not show signs of the virus can still spread it.
[04:27.24]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM