Swiss health authorities have announced the registration of the first case of monkeypox in a person living in the canton of Bern, noting that he contracted the disease outside the country, explaining that the patient was treated and is now subject to isolation at home, according to a French press agency.

And authorities said in a statement that everyone who came into contact with the patient has been informed, noting that “to the best of our knowledge, this person was exposed to the virus abroad.”

Thus, Switzerland joins several Western countries including the UK, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the US in reporting cases, raising concerns about the spread of the virus. Yesterday, Friday, the World Health Organization published an introductory guide to the monkeypox virus after about 80 suspected cases were reported in Europe, America and Australia.

The virus first appeared in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when it infected a 9-year-old child in an area where smallpox disappeared in 1968.

Monkeypox is mainly found in the rainforest regions of central and western Africa, but in recent days the disease has also appeared in other parts of the world. Symptoms include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.