Monkeypox has been confirmed in five patients hospitalized in St. Petersburg, Russia, after they were initially suspected of having the disease.

“The patients continue to receive treatment. Their condition is stable, with the cases classified as moderate to mild,” the S. P. Botkin Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital told TASS.

On October 16, the regional office of Russia's Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor), reported that five people had been placed under medical observation in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region over suspected monkeypox infections.

Doctors also launched efforts to identify people who had been in contact with the patients.

Monkeypox, also known as mpox, is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can spread through close physical contact with an infected person, contact with contaminated materials, and infected animals. Symptoms commonly include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash or lesions. Most people recover within two to four weeks, although severe cases can occur. The World Health Organization (WHO) renamed the disease mpox in 2022 to reduce stigma associated with the original name.