The World Health Organization (WHO) states that from January to August 22, 41,600 cases of monkey pox and 12 deaths worldwide. The number of new weekly cases decreased by 21% in the period from August 15 to 21, compared with the previous week. The disease caused by the monkeypox virus affects at least 96 countries.
On the other hand, the number of cases reported in the Americas region show a continuous and sharp increase , confirming the trends observed in recent weeks. The data were released on Wednesday (24), in a new WHO epidemiological bulletin.
According to the document, in the last seven days, 23 countries have reported an increase in the number of cases per week, with the highest rate reported in the United States. The majority of cases registered in the last four weeks were reported from the Americas region (60.3%) and Europe (38.7%).
As of August 22, the ten countries that reported the highest cumulative number of cases in the world were the United States (14,049), Spain (6,119), Brazil (4,144), Germany (3,295), United Kingdom (3,225), France (2,889), Canada (1,168), Netherlands (1,090), Peru (937) and Portugal (810). Together, these countries account for 88.9% of reported cases globally.
Characteristics of the outbreak
According to the WHO, the outbreak continues to affect young male , with 98.2% of cases with available data indicating a median age of 36 years. Less than 1% of cases affect people aged 0 to 17 years.
The distribution of cases by age differs between countries, with West and Central Africa reporting a higher proportion of cases among young age groups, with 38.7% of cases between the age group 0 to 17 years, of of which 12.5% ​​were between 0 and 4 years old.
Among cases with reported sexual orientation, 95.8% identified themselves as men who have sex with men. Of all types of transmission reported, a sexual encounter was reported most frequently, with 82.1% of all transmission events reported.
Symptoms and diagnosis of the disease
Monkeypox, in most cases, progresses without complications and the signs and symptoms last from two to four weeks.
Clinical manifestations usually include skin lesions in the form of blisters or sores that can appear on different parts of the body, such as the face, hands, feet, eyes, mouth or genitals. However, the current outbreak of the disease has presented different epidemiological characteristics, with symptoms that can be quite mild.
In the most common documented form of the disease, symptoms may appear from the seventh day onwards with a sudden and intense fever. Signs such as headache, nausea, exhaustion, tiredness and especially the appearance of swollen glands are common, which can happen both in the neck and in the axillary region as well as in the genital part.
The manifestation on the skin occurs between one and three days after the initial symptoms. The signs go through different stages: macula (small spots), papule (small pimple-like sores), vesicle (small blisters), pustule (bubble with the presence of pus) and crust (which are the healing shells).
The main way of monkey pox transmission it is through direct person-to-person contact, called skin-to-skin.
Transmission can happen from direct contact with skin lesions, crusts or body fluids of an infected person, by touching objects, fabrics (clothes, sheets or towels) and surfaces that have been used by someone with the disease, in addition to contact with respiratory secretions.
The Ministry of Health recommends that, in the face of any suspicious symptoms, people should seek medical attention at Basic Health Units (UBSs) or Emergency Care Unit (UPA) for evaluation.
During the consultation, it is important to inform if there has been close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed disease. Based on these records collected during the consultation, the specialist will be able to order a diagnostic test.
Source: CNN Brasil