The situation update on the spread of monkeypox in France showed an acceleration of new cases this weekend. “The situation is changing very quickly”, deplores Public Health France.
Released this Sunday, May 29, the Public Health France situation report of May 28 on the spread of monkeypox in the country shows that there are 16 cases in total, 9 more than the day before.
The number of cases has therefore more than doubled in less than 24 hours in the country. Santé Publique France indicates that “suspicious cases are being assessed in many countries and the situation is therefore changing very quickly”.
In France, infections by this virus are subject to long-term surveillance by means of compulsory reporting. “Given the current alerts, the surveillance of these infections is reinforced by Public Health France and information and alert messages are sent to health professionals.”
2 cases in Occitania
Four regions are currently affected since there are 12 cases in Ile-de-France, 1 in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and 2 in Occitanie and 1 case in Normandy.
“To date, in Europe, these cases have occurred mainly, but not exclusively, in men who have sex with men (MSM), with no direct link to people returning from endemic areas”, specifies SPF.
In the usual absence of Monkeypox in Europe and of a link reported by the cases identified with a risk zone, “the current European context constitutes an alert and suggests contamination in Europe”.
As a reminder, monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by an orthopoxvirus. This zoonotic disease is usually transmitted to humans in forest areas of Central and West Africa by wild rodents or primates, but human-to-human transmission is also possible, particularly within the family home or in the care setting.
The Monkeypox virus can be transmitted by direct contact with lesions on the skin or mucous membranes of a sick person, as well as by droplets (saliva, sneezing, sputter, etc.). You can also become contaminated through contact with the patient’s environment (bedding, clothes, dishes, bath linen, etc.). “It is therefore important that the patients respect isolation for the entire duration of the disease (until the disappearance of the last crusts, most often 3 weeks)”, recalls Public Health France.
What symptoms?
Monkeypox virus infection most often begins with a fever, which is frequently high and accompanied by headaches, body aches and asthenia. After about 2 days, a blistering rash appears, made up of fluid-filled blisters that progress to drying out, crusting and then scarring. Itching may occur. The vesicles tend to be concentrated on the face, the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. The mucous membranes are also affected, in the mouth and the genital area. The lymph nodes are swollen and painful, under the jaw and in the neck.
The disease most often heals spontaneously, after 2 to 3 weeks but sometimes 4 weeks. The disease is more severe in children and in immunocompromised people. It can be complicated by superinfection of skin lesions or by respiratory, digestive, ophthalmological or neurological disorders.
“At this stage, the cases reported in Europe are mostly mild, and there are no reported deaths.”