Portuguese authorities believe that some of the cases of Monkeypox may be linked to parties that took place in April and May in the Canaries, according to CNN Portugal.

The report states that there was a case of a man who, on April 20, appeared in the health services with skin lesions, but as at the time there was still no knowledge of the circulation of this virus in Europe, the case was not evaluated at the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, the entity that carries out the analyses that make it possible to be sure of the viral agent in question. At the time, the patient was tested several times for sexually transmitted diseases - and all came back negative.

However, national health authorities believe that this case may have been the first, or one of the first, of Monkeypox in Portugal.

In the medical report, descriptions of the lesions and all other symptoms are the same as those now known to be caused by the Monkeypox virus. When he went to the medical services, this man said that he had returned from a trip to the Canaries, where he had participated in some parties. This may mean that the disease was already in Portugal in mid-April.

Meanwhile, there are other reports that link the transmission of the disease to other parties in the Canary Islands, namely Pride Maspolamas, an event that was attended by 80,000 people and which took place between the 5th and 15th of May.