Belgium 24- The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the number of cases to increase “monkeypox’, especially in Europe, but also in Canada, Australia and the United States.
“As we enter the summer season (…) with gatherings andFestivals and parties, I’m afraid the transmission of infection will accelerate“.
This situation worries the health authorities in Belgium, which has seen so far Three people have been infected with this virus. But how do we prevent it and what treatments or vaccines are already available?
Watch out for symptoms
Here are the main symptoms of monkeypox to watch for: fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue, along with a rash that often affects the face, and that spreads to other parts of the body including organs Genital.
if you are sick, You must self-isolate for 21 daysThis is the incubation period for the virus inside the body.
You should know that there are also effective treatments, explains Dr. Emmanuel Poteau, head of the Tropical Diseases Unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, who notes that there is a molecule developed for smallpox, but for conventional smallpox.
He added, “There was at some point a risk of bioterrorism, so at that time we developed an effective treatment that was already used for monkeypox as well.”
According to Mr. Boteau, there is no currently widely available drug for this virus, but monkeypox is less contagious than human smallpox. Noting that transmission is through direct contact. It is therefore essential to avoid touching an infected person and to wash your hands thoroughly to protect yourself.
What about vaccinations?
There are also smallpox vaccines. The last statement from the European Medicines Agency dates back to 2013.
“It is a Danish-made vaccine and the EMA is specifically discussing possible stocks and supplies,” says Jean-Michel Dony, an expert in the pharmacovigilance division of the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products.
The expert clarified that it is not necessary to have a stockpile of millions of doses overnight.
But Belgium still maintains a strategic stockpile in the event of a biological accident: one million doses of vaccines, he concluded. In 2015, the Supreme Council of Public Health recommended vaccination for certain groups of the population.