Crew of bulk carrier quarantined in Argentina due to suspected MPOX case

Argentine authorities have quarantined a bulk carrier ship in the Paraná River because of suspected MPOX on board.

The ship was near the port of Rosario when it informed authorities that “one of its crew members, of Indian nationality, had cyst-like skin lesions, predominantly on the chest and face,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The crew member was isolated from the rest of the crew. The ship, which was heading for the port of San Lorenzo, anchored in the river.

The unnamed ship, flying the Liberian flag, had set off from Santos, Brazil, to pick up a cargo of soy.

The entire crew will be quarantined pending the results of investigations conducted by health authorities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a global health emergency last week for the second time in two years as a new variant of the virus spread rapidly in Africa. A day later, a case of the Clade 1b variant was confirmed in Sweden, the first sign of spread outside Africa.

Mpox, a viral infection that causes purulent lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can be fatal. The clade 1b variant of Mpox has caused concern worldwide because it appears to spread more easily through routine close contact.