Mspas reports that out of 119 suspected cases, 115 have already been defined and four remain as probable. | Photo: Prensa Latina

Guatemala City, October 22 (RHC)-- Guatemala's Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Mspas) announced this week five new cases of monkeypox, for a total of 66 in the course of the epidemic in the Central American country.

According to the official statement, the new patients are five men between 20 and 29 years of age, residents of the department of Guatemala.  "So far, the epidemiological investigation has determined that four of them are not related to each other or to previously confirmed cases and one of them is related to a previously confirmed case," the note explains.

The report indicates that they began to show symptoms of the disease between October 9 and 15, and all of them are now isolated at their homes, while specialists from Mspas monitor their evolution.  Guatemalan health authorities also report a total of 119 suspected cases, of which 115 have been screened and four remain probable, while 19 have already recovered.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), around 49,000 cases of monkeypox have been detected in the Americas so far, with 13 deaths and the United States as the main source of infection.