Geneva-Sana
The World Health Organization expects more monkeypox cases to be detected as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not usually found.
The United Nations organization said, according to what was reported by Reuters today, that "so far, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported from 12 countries," noting that it will provide more guidance and recommendations in the coming days for countries on how to limit the spread of smallpox. monkeys.
"An international panel of experts met via a video conference to consider what needs to be studied about the outbreak and inform the public, including if there is any asymptomatic spread, who is most at risk, and the different ways of transmission," said David Heymann, a WHO official.
“Close contact is the main route of transmission because the typical lesions of the disease are highly contagious...For example, parents who care for sick children at risk as well as health workers and that is why some countries have started vaccinating monkeypox treatment teams with smallpox vaccines,” Heymann added. .
It's biologically plausible, Heymann said, "that the virus was spreading outside of the countries in which it is endemic but did not lead to a major outbreak as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown measures, social distancing and travel restrictions."
Heymann stressed that the outbreak of monkeypox is not like the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic because it is not easily transmitted, and that those who suspect they have been exposed or who show symptoms including rash and fever should avoid close contact with others, and that there are vaccines available, but the most important message is that You can protect yourself.
The early genetic sequence of a few cases in Europe indicates a similarity with the strain that spread in a limited way in Britain and Singapore in 2018, and the available information indicates that human-to-human transmission occurs between people in close physical contact with cases who show symptoms. .
Monkeypox is a contagious disease that is usually mild and endemic in parts of West and Central Africa and spreads through close contact, so it can be contained relatively easily through measures such as self-isolation and personal hygiene.
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