34-year-old woman is Iran’s first monkeypox case

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting that authorities have announced the first case of monkeypox in the country. The report said health authorities quarantined a 34-year-old woman living in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. A health ministry spokesperson says the patient and her family members informed doctors after she developed symptoms on the skin of her hands. Monkeypox spreads when people have close, physical contact with an infected person’s lesions, their clothing or bedsheets. Sexual contact may amplify transmission. Most people recover from monkeypox without needing treatment, but the lesions can be extremely painful. More severe cases can result in complications including brain inflammation and death.