Argentina health officials rule out suspected case of mpox on grains ship

Argentina quarantines grains ship over suspected mpox case

A drone view of a Liberian-flagged cargo ship anchored after Argentine authorities quarantined it on the Parana River over a suspected case of mpox onboard, according to the government, in San Lorenzo, Argentina August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tomas Cuesta

Source: REUTERS

Health officials in Argentina said on Wednesday that a test to determine if a crew member on a quarantined grains cargo ship was infected with the mpox virus had come back negative, according to a statement from the health ministry.

The crew member, an Indian national who had developed cyst-like skin lesions on his chest and face, was working on the ship that was traveling along a key commodities route near the inland river port city of Rosario.

Authorities had quarantined the ship in the Parana River as a precaution.

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In its statement, the health ministry said the individual tested negative for mpox, but positive for chicken pox.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency 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 its spread outside Africa.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters