An extremely rare disease called monkeypox, the “cousin” of smallpox, has reached at least 12 countries, including Europe, the United States and Canada.
To CNN, Alvaro da Costa, an infectious disease specialist at the Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, USP, said that what stands out in the reported cases is that they do not have a direct relationship with primate contact and the rapid spread of the disease.
“What stands out is that, until a certain time, the cases were in people who went to risk areas and had direct contact with primates. What we observed is that the disease spread very fast and many of these cases [atuais] they had no contact with monkeys or sick people,” he said.
The first confirmed case of the disease in the United Kingdom, which triggered the alert of the World Health Organization (WHO), was reported to the entity on May 7.
The infectologist said that health authorities are already investigating and looking for a relationship between the cases. “But it is important to know that not all suspected cases are yet confirmed. It is important to confirm and understand the size of the spread across Europe,” he said.
The doctor explains that the human smallpox virus [que foi erradicado] is different, and the existing vaccine is cross-protected — making it a disease that has a benign course.
Costa said monkeypox is “far less severe” than what has been known in the past. But caution is necessary. “The major complication is that some bacteria enter through the skin and cause a generalized infection.”
Infection can develop after exposure of “wounded skin, mucous membranes, respiratory droplets, infected body fluids, or even contact with contaminated clothing.”
The expert points out that it is “important to pay attention over the next few weeks, identify these people early and block transmission – with isolation”, he said.
Asked about the possibility of an alert in Brazil, Costa said that despite the alert from surveillance in the country, “there are no suspected cases of monkeypox in Brazil,” he said.
monkey pox
Monkeypox (Monkeypox) got its name in 1958, when “two outbreaks of a smallpox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research,” said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the main carrier of the disease, monkeypox, is still unknown, although “African rodents are suspected to participate in transmission,” the agency said.
Source: CNN Brasil
