After the confirmation of the arrival of monkeypox in Cartagena, on August 5, the circulation of false news about this disease has not been long in coming.
(Read here: Cartagena records the first case of monkeypox)
In the last few hours, the news that there are already more than 30 cases of monkeypox in the city has gone viral on social networks, which sparked the concern of Cartagena.
“The first patient with monkeypox was infected by another person who lives in the city and who has not traveled either. The latter did have contact with a relative who came from New York and who apparently ‘spread’ the monkey virus in several people. It is estimated that there are more than 30 cases of this smallpox in the city. It is spreading like wildfire and its spread will be uncontrollable, ”says a part of the message released on networks.
The truth is that this information is false. The District Administrative Department of Health (Dadis) stated that, so far, there is only one confirmed case of monkeypox in Cartagena.
“From the Dadis leadership we deny and reject the posts on social networks where they maliciously report that there is an outbreak of monkeypox in the city. We also deny that we are hiding information about it,” said Carmen Llamas, director in charge of Dadis.
It should be remembered that the only confirmed contagion so far is that of a 37-year-old man, a resident of the city and who remains under monitoring.
(You may be interested in: Goodbye to the stigma: monkeypox can give anyone)
The health authority reported that the case remains under study and his chain of contacts is being followed up, since the citizen did not bring monkeypox to this city from another region or country, but rather contracted it while in La Heroica.
about smallpox
Monkeypox is a self-limited disease (which heals on its own), and it is also low in lethality and contagion, compared to COVID-19.
This is characterized by fever, skin lesions that usually appear at the same stage, and swollen lymph nodes.
Smallpox transmission occurs through close contact with sick people or their fluids or other items such as bedding.
(Read here: Watch out! These are the symptoms of monkeypox)
In figures
According to figures from the National Institute of Health (INS), the country has already accumulated 55 cases of monkeypox, of which 41 are in Bogotá.
The country has also registered infections of the disease in the departments of Antioquia (4), Risaralda (3), Tolima (2), Bolívar (1), Cundinamarca (1), La Guajira (1), Santander (1) and Valle from Cauca (1).
So far, Colombia has analyzed 162 cases, of which 55 are confirmed for monkeypox and 65 were ruled out.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency two weeks ago due to the outbreak after the identification of more than 16,000 cases in 75 countries, many of them European, and some deaths.
(We recommend: There are already 55 cases of monkeypox in Colombia)