After the discovery this weekend of a first case of monkey pox on Swiss soil, should we be worried? Interview with the Vaud cantonal doctor.
The canton of Bern has detected the first Swiss case of monkeypox. It was detected on a resident of the canton, exposed to this virus abroad. He is being followed on an outpatient basis and is in isolation at his home. All contacts have been informed.
A cousin disease of smallpox, but considered less dangerous, and moderately transmissible to humans according to the OFPS. The Vaud cantonal doctor, Karim Boubaker, does not seem worried at this stage. :
The FOPH recommends that people returning from a trip to a risk area, such as West and Central Africa, monitor their state of health and consult a doctor in the event of symptoms. What exactly are the symptoms? We find Karim Boubaker:
Tracing and transmission
It was said, according to the FOPH, this monkey pox would be less dangerous than a “classic” smallpox, and less transmissible than other diseases, such as Covid.
Contact tracing was however activated in the canton of Bern following this first case. A tracing often highlighted during the Covid pandemic. Should we therefore be worried that this tracing will resurface for this monkey pox? No, according to the Vaud cantonal doctor, Karim Boubaker:
The scientific community considers it possible that transmission increases in the event of sexual contact with an infected person. Men who have sex with men appear to be at an additional risk of infection.
It should also be noted that, faced with the proliferation of cases of smallpox monkey in Europe, including one confirmed in Switzerland, the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) is examining the possibility of obtaining a vaccine.
For the moment, there is no reason to worry, indicated the vice-director of the FOPH. There is no specific vaccine once morest smallpox monkey, but first- and second-generation smallpox vaccines are effective once morest the disease, she said.
Robin Jaunin with Keystone-ATS
