Researchers have sequenced the monkeypox virus from a recent case in Portugal, according to New Scientist. Monkeypox cases have been identified in at least 10 countries, including the US, it adds.
The researchers from National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge in Lisbon analyzed a sample from a Portuguese case collected in early May. They report in a preprint posted to Virological.org that the virus belongs to the West African clade of monkeypox viruses — which is more mild than the Congo version — and is related to a monkeypox virus from Nigeria that also led to cases in the UK, Israel, and Singapore in 2018 and 2019.
The World Health Organization on Saturday said there have been 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox in non-endemic countries. According to the Associated Press, US President Joe Biden said the cases are something "to be concerned about." A spokesperson added, the AP notes, that the US has a vaccine available that would be effective against monkeypox.
New Scientist notes that other teams are sequencing other viral samples as well.