The State Department of Health of São Paulo confirmed, on the morning of this Wednesday (12), the first death from smallpox of monkeys in the state. This is a 26-year-old patient who had been hospitalized since August 1st at the Instituto de Infectologia Emílio Ribas, in São Paulo, was undergoing antiviral treatment and had comorbidities.
Brazil has already recorded six deaths from the disease – one in São Paulo, three in Rio de Janeiro and two in Minas Gerais. All victims had a history of low immunity or pre-existing health problems.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are 8,461 confirmed cases across the country, in the states of São Paulo (3,847), Rio de Janeiro (1,137), Minas Gerais (527), Federal District (267), Goiás (509), Bahia ( 116), Ceará (377), Rio Grande do Norte (96), Espírito Santo (95), Pernambuco (164), Tocantins (11), Amazonas (155), Acre (1), Rio Grande do Sul (238), Mato Grosso do Sul (132), Mato Grosso (99), Santa Catarina (302), Paraná (229), Pará (48), Alagoas (13), Maranhão (22), Paraíba (30), Piauí (18), Roraima (4), Rondônia (7), Amapá (2) and Sergipe (15).
About monkey pox
The disease is not transmitted by monkeys to humans, however, it takes its name because it was first observed in primates from African countries. The monkeypox virus, which is part of the same family as smallpox, is transmitted between people, mainly through intimate and sexual contact.
As a prevention, health agencies advise avoiding: intimate or sexual contact with people who have skin lesions; kissing, hugging or having sex with someone with the disease; that hand hygiene is carried out with soap and water and use of alcohol gel; that bedding, towels, cutlery, cups, personal objects or sex toys are not shared; who wear masks, protecting against droplets and saliva, between confirmed cases and contacts.
The main symptom of the disease is the appearance of lesions similar to pimples or blisters, which can appear on the face, inside the mouth or in other parts of the body, such as hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus. Lumps may also appear in the neck, armpit and groin; and patients may experience fever, headache, chills, tiredness, and muscle aches.
Guidance from the Ministry of Health
All people with compatible symptoms of monkeypox should seek a Basic Health Unit (BHU) immediately and adopt isolation measures. The diagnosis is made in a laboratory way, by molecular testing or genetic sequencing. The samples are sent to eight reference laboratories in Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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