WARNING: The monkeypox virus may have been spreading silently!

For the first time in history, the world faced an international outbreak of monkeypox. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that between May 13 and June 2, health authorities recorded 780 cases of monkeypox in 27 countries where the disease is not endemic.

It is important to note that in countries where monkeypox is not endemic, a single case is considered an outbreak.

WHO warns monkeypox virus could continue to spread and more countries will report cases of the disease. Notably, in some countries, many cases of monkeypox have recently been recorded without close contact with infected people. This suggests that the virus that causes the disease may have been spreading silently.

Some scientists speculate that the monkeypox virus may have been circulating silently for years before it suddenly emerged worldwide.

Infectious disease experts and scientists at the genetics laboratory are urgently searching for clues to why a virus was found in West Africa half a century ago and is not usually contagious. There has been such a disturbing occurrence again in the past month from person-to-person.

Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization's technical lead on monkeypox, said: "It's possible there has been undetected transmission for a long time. We don't know if this has been the case. how long it takes, maybe weeks, months or years."

Previously, on June 3, WHO convened an online meeting with more than 500 experts and 2,000 participants to discuss and share knowledge about monkeypox as well as research priorities.

Experts emphasize the need to conduct clinical studies on monkeypox vaccines and treatments, as well as studies on the epidemiology and transmission of the virus.

According to the WHO, monkeypox outbreaks are occurring in a number of countries where the virus is not normally found. Some of these cases are being found in communities of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Transgender and gender-diverse people may also be more vulnerable amid the current outbreak.

According to WHO, 66 people have died from monkeypox in African countries by 2022.

Professor Van Ranst said the coming days of the outbreak would be crucial for monkeypox control. If by next week the number of cases only rises to around 1,000, this would be a good sign for global control of the virus. However, if the number of cases reaches 4,000, this shows that the outbreak is unlikely to be under control.

Symptoms of monkeypox

Incubation period:

Normally, after being infected with the virus that causes monkeypox, the incubation period can be from 5 to 21 days, that is, after that time the first symptoms of the disease begin to appear.

In some cases, the incubation period lasts between 7 and 14 days.

Period of full outbreak of monkeypox:

​ Symptoms include fever (usually the first symptom), severe headache, back pain, muscle aches, chills, fatigue, and swollen glands.

After showing a fever for 1 to 3 days, people with monkeypox may develop a rash. The rash can appear all over the face (95% of patients with monkeypox have a rash on the face), palms, and feet (the rate of rash on palms and feet is similar. relatively high, up to about 75%), mouth, eyes (including cornea and conjunctiva), external genitalia...

The rash is initially only slightly raised on the surface of the skin and then grows more severe, becoming vesicles, swelling, then gradually turning to pustules, then drying, scabbing, and falling.

- Usually, monkeypox symptoms will last 2 to 4 weeks and go away on their own, the person does not need to take special treatment measures.

- Most infected people recover after a few weeks, the mortality rate is not high. However, risk factors leading to severe disease progression and high mortality include: Patients with long-term exposure to the virus, children, people with poor immune systems... In particular, a complications may occur.

Complications from monkeypox

Common complications of this disease include blood infection (which can be fatal), encephalitis, bronchitis, infection of the cornea, loss of vision. For skin wounds that become more severe, the skin peels off in large patches.

Previously, the mortality rate from monkeypox fluctuated around 11% of the number of people infected with the disease, especially children with monkeypox had a higher mortality rate. In recent times, mortality has fluctuated between 3-6%.

Prevention of monkeypox

Although our country has not yet had monkeypox, it is necessary to be vigilant and avoid excessive panic. Vigilance and prevention are essential. Therefore, when suspected of being sick, it is necessary to quickly go to the hospital for medical examination and isolation.

- It is necessary to regularly eat and drink cooked food. Only eat meat of animals of clear origin and have been tested.

- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after coming into contact with others.

- People suspected of having monkeypox should be isolated immediately and avoid contact with healthy people.

In the face of the current outbreak of monkeypox, many countries around the world are making careful preparations to avoid facing another post-COVID-19 epidemic. Health officials in the UK are building a wide network to quickly find new cases, adding: "The risk to the UK population remains low, but we asks people to be on the lookout for any new types of rashes or lesions that may appear, such as spots, sores or blisters, on any part of the body."

The European Union's Medicines Agency (EMA) has activated an emergency task force against monkeypox, which includes a rapid expansion of vaccine production.

As the world is still facing the COVID-19 pandemic, experts warn that emerging viruses are inevitable in the coming years and better surveillance is needed to catch potential new pathogens. .

Bệnh đậu mùa khỉ và những điều cần đặc biệt lưu ý Hoàng Anh11:51:03 31/07/2022Tuần rồi, Tổ chức Y tế thế giới (WHO) đã công bố Tình trạng khẩn cấp về y tế công cộng cần được quốc tế quan tâm (PHEIC) đối với bệnh đậu mùa khỉ - mức cảnh báo cao nhất của WHO. Đã có hơn 20.000 ca nhiễm được phát hiện ở hơn...