Tue May 24, 2022 – 10:27 am EDT
BRUXELLES, Belgium (LifeSiteNews) — Belgium has become the first country to introduce a compulsory 21-day quarantine for anyone who tests positive for monkeypox, following the mysterious outbreak of the viral disease which has prompted the U.S. government to order millions of doses of monkeypox vaccine.
The Belgian health authorities decided Friday to introduce compulsory measures, and as of May 24 the small European Union country of some 11.5 million people has detected four cases, all linked to a festival in Antwerp.
So far, the compulsory quarantine measures will apply only to people who are tested positive for monkeypox. Close contacts will not be required to self-isolate.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases continues to increase worldwide. As of Tuesday, confirmed global infections number over 100 in a number of countries including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal and Netherlands.
Monkeypox is currently understood as a rare infection primarily spread by wild animals in West Africa. Its symptoms are said to be similar to that of chickenpox. Case fatality rate estimates for human obtained monkeypox in Africa range from 1% to 15%.
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