(Taiwan English News / Zhu Mingzhu Comprehensive Foreign News Report) A Dutch boy under 10 years old was diagnosed after traveling with his family to TurkeymonkeypoxAt present, the source of infection is unknown. Therefore, experts remind that the transmission route is not only through sexual behavior, and groups with weak resistance such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women should be vigilant.
According to comprehensive foreign reports, the boy, his parents, and five siblings went to Turkey for a week of vacation. After returning to the country, the boy developed two small, red, circular skin lesions on his left lower jaw and cheek. Fungal infection. After applying the medicine for several days, the situation did not improve. Instead, 20 “clearly demarcated, reddish-brown pimples” appeared on the face, ears, hands, legs and back. The doctor began to suspect that the boy was infected with monkeypox virus and was referred to the Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in late June.
Emma Children’s Hospital stated that the boy was diagnosed with monkeypox after a test. After a week of treatment, the virus could not be detected in his body and he had fully recovered. The boy’s parents and two siblings were listed as close contacts. All tests were negative, and health authorities also vaccinated four people.
According to the investigation, the boy was not sexually assaulted, and the tests for syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, and herpes zoster were all negative, and the source of infection is currently under investigation.
The boy’s parents said that during their stay in Turkey, they did not have close contact with other tourists, and the towels used were very careful and did not come into contact with others, and there was no evidence that the boy had been close to suspicious or confirmed cases.
Physicians in the Netherlands published the case in the journal Eurosurveillance last Thursday. Physician Marceline van Furth, who led the study, called for the public to be vigilant and remind “children, the elderly, pregnant women” to Monkeypox should be especially vigilant, with a mortality rate of about 3%.
Monkeypox has spread around the world and has infected more than 16,000 people, mainly through gay or bisexual sex. The World Health Organization announced on the 23rd that monkeypox has met the definition of a global public health emergency, which means that countries must take further response measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Experts worry that the monkeypox outbreak may have spread widely to other groups, especially as a lack of testing equipment in some areas has led to black numbers.
Experts remind that in addition to sexual behavior, if you have physical contact with a patient, or touch a towel or bedding stained with the virus, you may be infected, and in rare cases, it can also be transmitted through the air.
Generally speaking, the incubation period of monkeypox is about 8 days, but this Dutch boy did not develop symptoms until 3 weeks after returning from Turkey. It is estimated that different infection routes may also affect the length of the incubation period.