BEIRUT — The Health Ministry on Monday said there are “no confirmed or suspected cases” of the monkeypox virus in Lebanon. The virus has been spreading in many countries since the beginning of May, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Here’s what we know:
• “There are no confirmed or suspected cases of this disease in Lebanon until this day; the Health Ministry will announce it in case it happens,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
• Over the weekend, several local media outlets and the newly elected MP and former head of Lebanon’s national vaccination committee, Abdel Rahman al-Bizri, mentioned the existence of suspected cases of monkeypox in Lebanon. A doctor told al-Jadeed TV channel on Monday that he had examined a patient suspected of having contracted monkeypox and showing symptoms of the illness.
• On Saturday, caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad said that “Lebanon is so far safe” from this virus. He also announced that he had given directives to the prevention department of the ministry to take the necessary measures at entrance points of the country, especially at Beirut’s international airport.
• Cases of monkeypox have been recorded in several Western countries since the beginning of May, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Portugal, France and Sweden. Its symptoms reportedly include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue.