Israel on Sunday said it has ruled out the possibility of a second case of monkeypox infection being found in the country after extensive testing had been done on the suspected patient.
Health authorities said earlier they have detected the country’s first case of monkeypox in a man who returned from abroad and were looking into another suspected case.
Health Ministry said late Saturday the infected man was at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center in good condition. It called on anyone returning from abroad with fever and lesions to see a doctor.
The patient previously suspected of having the virus also recently returned from Europe and is being treated at Ashkelon's Barzilai Medical Center.
The 27-year-old man of Indian descent worked as a sailor on a cargo ship that recently docked at the port of Ashdod. According to the hospital, his symptoms are extremely mild and he was not in contact with other patients, having been hospitalized in complete isolation.
However, the man's test returned negative following the examination at Israel Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona.
Senior officials at the Health Ministry said there is currently no intention to vaccinate the entire population or vaccinate at all against the smallpox disease (which includes monkeypox).
The officials alluded that those set to attend Pride Month events next month ought to exercise caution since a significant proportion of those infected with monkeypox abroad are homosexual men. The ministry added there is no fear of a mass outbreak occurring during the Pride Parade because the virus requires close contact in order to be transmitted.