Thirty non-endemic countries have reported more than 550 confirmed cases of smallpox, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Investigations are ongoing, but the sudden appearance of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests that there may have been an undetected transmission for some time,” Tedros told reporters at WHO headquarters on Wednesday. in Geneva.
As most of the reported cases have been between sexual encounters between men, these communities are working to inform their members of the risks and preventive actions that can be taken.
“But we must all work hard to combat the stigma, which is not only wrong, but could also prevent infected people from seeking care, making it more difficult to stop transmission,” the WHO chief warned. he urged the affected countries to extend their vigilance to the wider community.
Anyone is at risk for infection if they have close physical contact with someone who has Monkeypox. Tedros noted that as the situation evolves, the WHO expects more cases to be found.
“It’s important to remember that, in general, the symptoms of monkeypox resolve on their own, but they can be severe in some cases,” he added.
The WHO continues to receive updates on the status of ongoing monkeypox outbreaks in African countries where the disease is endemic.
The top WHO official outlined his priorities for providing accurate information to those most at risk; prevent further spread among high-risk people; protect frontline health workers; and advance “our understanding” of the disease, the UN said in a press release.
With the increase in Monkeypox case reports (MPX) in non-endemic countries, India’s Ministry of Health acted proactively on Tuesday and issued “Monkeypox Disease Management Guidelines” to ensure readiness advanced nationwide.
“No cases of monkeypox have been reported in India to date,” the health ministry said in a statement. According to the guidelines, a confirmed case is confirmed in the laboratory for the monkeypox virus by detecting unique viral DNA sequences either by polymerase. chain reaction (PCR) and / or sequencing. “All clinical samples should be transported to the Apex Laboratory of ICMR-NIV (Pune) through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) network of the respective district / state,” he said. in the guidelines. Guidelines for the management of monkeypox disease include the epidemiology of the disease (including host, incubation period, transmissibility period and mode of transmission; contact and case definitions; clinical features and its complication, diagnosis, case management, risk). communication, guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC), including the use of personal protective equipment. “Stress monitoring guidelines and rapid identification of new cases as key public health measures for containment Explains infection prevention and control (CPI), CPI at home, patient isolation, and ambulance transfer strategies, additional precautions that have been taken. to take into account and the duration of the isolation proceedings, “the statement said. According to the guidelines, contacts should be monitored at least daily for signs / symptoms for a period of 21 days from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period. Raising awareness about risk factors, the guidelines explain in more detail about awareness. and educating people about measures to prevent contact with any material of the sick person, isolating the infected patient from others, practicing good hand hygiene, and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients. .
The ministry also said it had been reported that the monkeypox was endemic to several other Central and West African countries, including Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo. , and Sierra Leone. However, cases have also been reported in certain non-endemic countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Israel, Switzerland, and so on.
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