The National Academy of Medicine (ANM) asked the Government this Sunday to “act energetically” to prevent the spread of monkeypox in the territory, since the The World Health Organization (WHO) activated, yesterday, its highest level of global alert before the outbreak of this disease.
In a statement, the ANM assured that it is “urgent for Venezuela to implement measures” to control this smallpox and recommended “declaring a health alarm that allows mobilizing resources and undertaking the necessary actions, in collaboration with civil society and with strict adherence to the respect for human rights”.
Likewise, he urged the Executive to “ensure transparency” and respect for privacy in the handling of information on the disease, to strengthen the capacity for diagnosis and genetic monitoring, and to develop epidemiological surveillance programs that guarantee control of the virus.
Venezuelan doctors
The ANM insisted that, “although the outbreak is moderate in Venezuela, where a single case has been confirmed,” work must be done to meet the public health objective of “preventing epidemics before they get out of control.” .
Monkeypox, an endemic disease in East and Central Africa, is less dangerous than conventional smallpox (eradicated globally 40 years ago) and usually manifests with a high fever that quickly leads to skin rashes, especially on the face.
According to the WHO, the disease already has more than 16,000 cases (five of them fatal) in 75 countries around the world, many of them in Europe, where it was not endemic.
In Venezuela, on June 12, the Ministry of Health reported the detection of the first and only reported case, to date, of monkeypox.
It was diagnosed in a patient who entered the country from Spain through the Simón Bolívar de Maiquetía International Airport, which serves Caracas, according to the ministry.