The key facts

  • Epidemiologist Murad Shakhmardanov considers a large-scale monkeypox outbreak in Russia unlikely: the virus is transmitted through close contact, not by airborne droplets
  • A 50-year-old man with monkeypox who returned from a tourist trip to Barcelona has been hospitalized at the Domodedovo hospital in the Moscow region
  • The illness lasts 2–4 weeks; the patient is contagious 1–2 days before the rash appears and until all scabs fall off

Imported case and risk assessment

In Russia a large-scale spread of monkeypox is unlikely, said Murad Shakhmardanov, Doctor of Medical Sciences and professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology of the Pirogov University, speaking to RIA Novosti. According to him, transmission is possible only through close bodily contact with a sick person or via contaminated objects. A respiratory route of infection does exist, but it requires prolonged face-to-face close interaction, which is why mass outbreaks are not typical for this virus.

What is known about the patient

The day before, a man with monkeypox was hospitalized at the Domodedovo hospital in the Moscow region. The 50-year-old patient had returned from a tourist trip to Barcelona; after feeling unwell, developing a fever and characteristic rashes, he sought medical attention.

How the infection progresses

The professor clarified that the infection lasts 2–4 weeks. A person becomes contagious 1–2 days before the rash appears and remains dangerous to others until all the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed. The first signs are fever, chills, headache, muscle and back pain, weakness and swollen lymph nodes. The practical significance of these explanations in the context of the Moscow-region case is that the contagious period begins before obvious rashes appear, which complicates the early identification of contacts; however, the transmission mechanism itself requires close contact rather than merely being near a sick person by chance.