Portugal Finds 5 Monkeypox Cases in Men as Outbreak Spreads

Mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions (L), and spherical immature virions (R), obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak, in a 2003 electron microscope image. Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP

LISBON, Portugal—Portuguese health authorities on Wednesday confirmed five cases of monkeypox in young men, and Britain announced another two, marking an unusual outbreak in Europe of a disease typically limited to Africa.

Portugal’s General Directorate for Health said they were also investigating 15 suspected cases and that all were identified this month in the area around the capital, Lisbon.