mpox
Published 6 November 2026, 09:07
mpox (formerly varíola dos macacos, or monkeypox)
A viral disease: fever, severe headache and muscle pain, back pain, weakness, swollen lymph nodes, and later a rash with blisters and scabs. It spreads through close physical contact: via the rash and sores, body fluids, and shared bedding and towels. The World Health Organization introduced the new name in 2022, and the Portuguese authorities use it too.
Where you come across it. DGS announcements and news about outbreaks; a referral to a doctor after calling SNS 24.
If you have a rash like this, don't just turn up and queue with everyone else: call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 first, and they will tell you where to go. The mpox vaccine is not part of the national vaccination schedule; it is given to people who need it on medical grounds. In September 2026 the World Health Organization reported transmission of the Ib strain within Portugal: 66 cases in six weeks.
Official website: dgs.pt