Argentine authorities have quarantined a dry bulk vessel in the Parana River over a suspected case of mpox onboard.
The ship was near the port of Rosario when it alerted authorities that “one of its crew members of Indian nationality showed cyst-like skin lesions predominantly on the chest and face,” the health ministry said in a statement.
The crewmember has been isolated from the rest of the crew. The vessel, which had been bound for San Lorenzo port, dropped anchor in the river.
The unnamed Liberian-flagged ship was sailing from Santos in Brazil to pick up a cargo of soy.
The entire crew will be quarantined until results of studies carried out by health officials are available.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week 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.
Mpox, a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can kill. The clade 1b variety of mpox has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.