Israel and Switzerland recorded the first cases of monkeypox in regions (21) this Saturday. Other cases of the disease, endemic to central and western Africa, were confirmed in Europe and North America earlier this week. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) does not exclude vaccination to stop a possible outbreak. Spain, the hardest-hit European country, has already ordered millions of doses of smallpox vaccine.
Israel and Switzerland recorded the first cases of monkeypox in regions (21) this Saturday. Other cases of the disease, endemic to central and western Africa, were confirmed in Europe and North America earlier this week. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) does not exclude vaccination to stop a possible outbreak. Spain, the hardest-hit European country, has already ordered millions of doses of smallpox vaccine.
The infected Israeli is a man in his 30s who had recently returned from Europe, according to a spokesman for the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv. On Friday (20), the Israeli Ministry of Health reported that the man with mild symptoms had come into contact with a sick person during the trip.
In Switzerland, the first case concerned a person returning from a trip to another country from the canton of Bern. A map of the patient’s contacts was made to identify possible chains of transmission, local officials said. The infected person is in isolation at home and, according to the same source, all contacts have been notified.
Cases of the disease have been recorded in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Spain and Canada.
The most recent cases in Western countries have been observed among men who have sex with men, according to the WHO, which on Friday (20) said it should examine the transmission of the virus among homosexuals.
vaccine
The evolution of the disease worries health officials. Contamination may increase on the European continent, but most infections are mild, according to the director of WHO’s European arm.
To prevent an epidemic, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) does not exclude vaccination with the smallpox vaccine. The ECDC states, “If the country has smallpox vaccines, vaccination of close and high-risk contacts should be prescribed after a risk/benefit assessment.”
Faced with an increase in cases on Spanish territory, the Spanish Ministry of Health took the step and ordered millions of doses of smallpox vaccine. Spain is the country most infected with the virus in the world, with 30 confirmed cases.
rare disease
Monkeypox or “orthopoxvirosis simia” is a rare disease that can be transmitted from animal to human and vice versa.
The symptoms are similar to those seen, to a lesser extent, in smallpox cases: fever, headache, muscle and back pain during the first five days. Later, rashes appear on the skin of the face, palms and feet.
The World Health Organization (WHO) explains that there is no specific treatment or vaccine against the virus, but it is possible to control outbreaks. The disease usually resolves spontaneously and symptoms last between 14 and 21 days.
Severe cases are more common in children and are linked to exposure to the virus, the patient’s health status, and the severity of complications. The case fatality rate can vary greatly depending on the outbreaks, but was less than 10% of all documented cases.
Human-to-human transmission occurs through contact with respiratory secretions and skin lesions from a contaminated person or contaminated objects.
source: Noticias
