"Today, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was informed of a confirmed case of monkeypox in the county of Viken. The samples were analyzed at Oslo University Hospital," the institute said in a statement.
The institute noted that the infected person had recently traveled abroad, and is linking the case to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak in Europe. The patient applied for medical help with the country's healthcare system upon his return.
The institute noted that "the risk for further transmission is considered to be extremely low" since the health authorities have taken all necessary measures. Moreover, the institute noted that it has developed "routines and recommendations for how the healthcare service should handle people who may be infected," while Oslo University Hospital has set up diagnostics for the monkeypox virus and continues to send virus samples to the Public Health Agency of Sweden for quality control.
"It is not unexpected that we would have a case of monkeypox in Norway, and the healthcare service is prepared for it," the institute quoted Dr. Helena Niemi Eide as saying.
Hundreds of monkeypox cases have been reported lately in European countries, Australia, and the United States. Medical officers are still unsure about the ways the infection has spread since monkeypox is endemic in African countries and the majority of those infected have neither had any contact with African people nor traveled there. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the majority of cases have spread among gay and bisexual men through mass events.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted to people from wild animals. The disease can be transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.