The Ministry of Health has published an official document on monkeypox, relaying a wide range of information relating to the virus and the country’s strategy to manage the health risk associated with it.
Titled “Monkey Pox: National Surveillance and Response Plan,” the document provides the latest updates on the global spread of the disease, explaining how it raised concern as it moved from Europe to the United States. United, in Canada, Australia, Israel and even in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the document, the ministry also indicates that any suspected case should be reported immediately to public or private health institutions, which are responsible for contacting regional health authorities to verify the case and initiate an epidemiological investigation if the case is classified as probable.
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For each possible case, the health authorities will send an investigation form to the National Center for Public Health Emergency Operations (CNOUSP). The document, distributed to public and private health facilities, defines a “potential case of monkeypox” as anyone with a rash. By “suspected case”, the note from the ministry designates any person presenting a rash, a vesicular or vesiculo-pustular symptom, with a fever above 38°C.
The document further defines probable cases as having had contact with a confirmed case within 21 days of symptom onset, with any suspected case having traveled within 21 days of symptom onset, to a country where the disease is endemic. or a country that has recorded a chain of transmission since early May 2022. The list of countries where the disease is endemic currently includes countries in Central and West Africa, Europe and North America.
Monkeypox is a generally mild, self-limited illness, with most cases recovering within weeks, according to the World Health Organization. As for vaccines, several studies point out that they are effective up to 85%.