Monkeypox arrived in Mexico: health authorities confirmed the first case imported into the country, as reported on Saturday by the Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell.
On Twitter, Lopez-Gatell said he is a 50-year-old man living in New York, likely infected in the Netherlands and is stable and in preventive isolation in Mexico City.
Today we confirm the first imported case of monkeypox in Mexico. It is a 50-year-old man, a permanent resident of New York City, who probably got infected in the Netherlands. It is served in the CDMX. 1/3
— Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez (@HLGatell) May 28, 2022
In his messages, López-Gatell pointed out that monkeypox has a low transmissibility, so it generates “small outbreaks” and not “generalized epidemics.”
“Monkeypox is transmitted from person to person by direct contact. It is not spread by air, water or food. The efficiency of contagion is low, so there are usually isolated cases or small outbreaks, not generalized epidemics,” the official said.
The warning of the first confirmed case in Mexico comes just a day after Argentina became the first country in Latin America to register a contagion.
Within Mexican territory, the federal Ministry of Health in the middle of the week had ruled out infections, although it had asked to report the suspected cases.
Monkeypox has been present in Africa for several decades. This year, the disease has attracted global attention after cases began to be detected outside that continent, in countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.
Health specialists consulted by Animal Político recently pointed out that it is a low-lethality condition and that its expansion can be avoided if preventive measures are taken such as timely detection of infections and their close follow-up.
Read more: Monkeypox: what sets it apart and why WHO is concerned
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