Ministry of Health and Community Protection

Sami Abdel Raouf (Dubai)

The Ministry of Health and Community Protection announced that a guide had been prepared for surveillance, early detection of monkeypox, management of clinically infected cases and precautionary measures, noting that this guide was prepared by the technical advisory team for pandemic control, in cooperation and participation of the concerned authorities.
It also announced the completion of the development of laboratory diagnostic mechanisms for suspected cases with the required speed, as health measures reduce the risk of infection with any viral disease, stressing the health sector’s readiness to deal with monkeypox, through proactive readiness for monitoring and early investigation of cases.
The ministry indicated that it is cooperating with health authorities to strengthen epidemiological surveillance to ensure the rapid detection of cases and work to prevent the local spread of this virus, as it is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease, reassuring the public that this disease is relatively low in the case of transmission from one person to another.
In an electronic bulletin, the ministry talked regarding the ways monkeypox is transmitted, explaining that it is transmitted from animal to human through contact with the blood of infected animals, their body fluids, or their skin lesions, while the disease is transmitted from one person to another through respiratory droplets and through contact with surfaces contaminated with infected fluids. It can also be transmitted from the mother to the fetus through the placenta.
As for the treatment and vaccine, the ministry stated that most cases recover spontaneously, and symptoms usually disappear within 2 to 4 weeks, pointing out that there is an antiviral drug that is used in a narrow range depending on the severity of the case.
She stated that the vaccine is used following exposure to infection, to prevent transmission and spread of the disease, and it is the third generation of the smallpox vaccine, and is no longer widely available.
Monkeypox, a zoonotic viral disease, is less transmissible than the well-known smallpox, which is endemic in West and Central Africa and previous outbreaks in and out of Africa have been limited.

7 to 14 days
Regarding the incubation period for the disease, the ministry clarified that it ranges from 7 to 14 days, and may extend to 21 days, and the infection period from one person to another begins following the appearance of rash symptoms, which usually appears regarding 3 days following infection.
She stated that the symptoms of the disease are fever, pain in the body, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph glands, and a rash that begins on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body.
The ministry also talked regarding methods of prevention, noting that contact with and sharing of personal items such as towels and bed covers should be avoided, wearing gloves and protective equipment when caring for patients, as well as washing hands regularly and cooking all animal products before eating them, in addition to wearing gloves and appropriate protective clothing when approaching animals. sick.
The ministry called for taking information from official sources in the country and not to be drawn into rumors and false information, and to rely on following up on developments and instructions that will be issued by health authorities.