Belgium imposes 3-week quarantine on monkeypox patients

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Belgium on Monday required people diagnosed with monkeypox to observe a three-week quarantine, health authorities announced.

People showing symptoms of monkeypox must immediately go to a hospital's emergency room, according to the guidelines of the Risk Assessment Group, a council of health authorities representing the federal government and regions.

Patients must self-isolate for 21 days if they are diagnosed with the disease, said to the guidelines, stopping short of a quarantine for close contacts.

Four cases of monkeypox have been diagnosed so far in Belgium, with all related to a festival that took place earlier this month in the city of Antwerp.

Since the beginning of May, several monkeypox cases have been detected in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, and France, as well as Canada, Australia, and the US.

Monkeypox is a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms including fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.