Within two days, the number of confirmed cases reached monkey pox in Minas Gerais. The state health department reported that of the total number of infected patients, two had returned from a trip abroad and the others had been in Sao Paulo. Still according to the folder, they are all stable and in home isolation. The first patient whose diagnosis was confirmed was, on 29/06, a 33-year-old boy..
In an interview with the timeInfectious disease specialist Carlos Starling reports that the trend is to increase the number of cases in the coming months. “It is necessary to instruct the population. The vaccine is not available,” the doctor confirms. He argues that the monkeypox virus does not have the potential to cause a pandemic of the magnitude that Covid-19 causes, however, there is a risk of high rates of contamination. “We need to monitor behavior to assess whether we have resumed the vaccine,” he stressed.
Most of the patients with the disease are in Belo Horizonte. There are nine records in the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. Two other people with the disease live in Sete Laguas, in the central region of the state, and one more in Governador Valadares, in Rio Doce. All of them are men between the ages of 23 and 46.
+ Learn the main precautions regarding monkeypox
Serum
Smallpox vaccine has not been available in Brazil since 1980, when the disease was eradicated. According to Leandro Corey, MD, an infectious disease specialist, the smallpox vaccine works with the sister disease: monkeypox.
But the protection will not be 100% but 85%. For him, it is necessary to study the need to resume the production of the fortifying agent. “It protects (the vaccine) because of the genetic proximity between the viruses,” Corey said.
“Outbreaks that lead to epidemics start like this (Menas scenario). When the patient group is small, we can continue, but it is now possible that there are people who have been in contact with these people,” he explained.
+ Monkeypox: learn from which signs the patient should seek medical attention
What are the symptoms of monkeypox disease?
Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. Skin lesions first appear on the face and then spread to other parts of the body, including the genitals. The skin lesions look like those of chickenpox or syphilis until they form a crust that then falls off.
Symptoms of monkeypox can be mild or severe, and the skin lesions can be itchy or painful.
How is the disease transmitted?
The World Health Organization still does not know the source of infection in the reported cases. However, according to the Butantan Institute, it is now possible to clarify how the disease spreads in humans. Check how this transmission happens:
- contact with droplets expelled by an infected person (human or animal);
- contact with skin lesions caused by disease or by contaminated items such as clothing and bedding;
- Also according to the Butantan Institute, the incubation period for monkeypox usually ranges from six to 13 days, but can vary from five to 21 days.
How is the treatment done?
As with the coronavirus, treatment for monkeypox also requires 21 days of isolation, with the patient under medical observation.
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