The current outbreak of monkeypox cases has now been raised as a major health threat, ever since the World Health Organization chief issued a high alert on Saturday to try to contain it. There have been 16,000 cases worldwide at this stage, including more than 1,700 in France, Health Minister François Braun announced on BFMTV on Monday.
• Fever, skin lesions…: the symptoms of the disease
The first symptoms that appear in case of contamination are fever, headaches, acute muscle pain, unusual fatigue and swollen and painful lymph nodes in the jaw, neck or groin.
In a second period, skin and mucous membrane lesions may appear throughout the body. In the current outbreak of monkeypox, the genital, anal and oral areas are most often affected, with lesions sometimes appearing before lymph node involvement, fever, malaise and pain associated with the lesions, the WHO said. two days ago. But from one patient to another, the symptoms are variable.
After a few days or weeks, the pimples turn into scabs, which eventually fall off and the lesions heal. It is necessary to wait for its complete healing so that the patient is no longer contagious.
• A sometimes difficult diagnosis
Monkeypox is suspected if there is possible exposure to the virus within three weeks of contact with a confirmed or probable case, return from travel to a country in Africa where the virus is endemic, or multiple sexual partners .
In the current wave, of which Europe is the epicenter, a large majority of patients so far have been relatively young men who have sex with men, living mainly in cities, according to the WHO.
Diagnosis can be difficult because cases do not necessarily show the usual symptoms of the disease and can resemble certain sexually transmitted infections, health authorities warned. The doctor performing the physical exam will rule out other skin diseases such as chickenpox, hand-foot-and-mouth syndrome, shingles, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, syphilis, herpes, allergic skin reactions.
Confirmation of the monkeypox diagnosis may require testing, particularly by PCR testing. Skin sampling (biopsy or swab swabbing multiple vesicles) and/or nasopharyngeal sampling is preferred if the person has a rash in the mouth or throat.
While you wait to take a test and learn the results, you should isolate yourself. Once infection is confirmed, the recommended isolation is approximately three weeks.
It is not known if the virus can be transmitted through semen and, if so, for how long. As a precaution, the European Center for Disease Control recommends using a condom 12 weeks after recovery.
• A self-healing disease, possible treatment of symptoms
The disease usually heals spontaneously, after two or three weeks, sometimes four. Usually only symptomatic treatment is necessary, for example to stop fever or relieve itching.
In some cases, the injuries are very painful, as several testimonies report, which may require painkillers or even hospitalization. It is recommended not to scratch the lesions so as not to reactivate the virus or leave scars, and cover them to limit these risks.
In some people, the disease may be complicated by superinfection of skin lesions or by respiratory, digestive, ophthalmologic, or neurologic disorders. If necessary, certain antiviral drugs such as tecovirimat, designed in particular against smallpox, can be used.
Severe cases most often refer to children, pregnant women, immunocompromised. No deaths have been reported to date in Europe or the United States.
• One vaccine available and one hundred vaccination centers in France
A third-generation smallpox vaccine from the Danish company Bavarian Nordic (Imvanex or Jynneos, a live vaccine that does not replicate in the human body) can be given to adults, including caregivers, after risky contact but also as preventive measure.
If given within four days of exposure, it can have a significant protective effect, according to the European Center for Disease Control. The European Commission on Monday approved the extension of one of these vaccines to monkeypox.
In some countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France) preventive vaccination can be offered to groups most exposed to the virus, including men who have sex with men. In New York, thousands of people have already been vaccinated.
Vaccination is carried out with two doses, spaced at least 28 days apart. For people vaccinated against smallpox in childhood, one dose is sufficient. For the immunocompromised, a third is recommended. These vaccines do not provide immediate or total protection, health authorities invite people to be cautious after their injection.
In France, “more than a hundred” vaccination centers have already been established, according to François Braun. The Minister of Health announced on BFMTV on Monday that a large vaccination center will open this Tuesday in Île-de-France.
Source: BFM TV
