Academy of Medicine gave recommendations to the State on how to act in case of confirming the presence of monkeypox in Venezuela

• In a statement, the academy asked health authorities to strengthen diagnostic capacity in health centers and epidemiological monitoring.

The National Academy of Medicine issued a statement on Thursday, August 15, in response to the World Health Organization’s announcement (OMS) in which it declares a health emergency of international interest to monkeypox. In the text, the institution offers recommendations to the Venezuelan State on how to act if cases are confirmed in the country.

The statement proposes a series of epidemiological and financial measures to prevent the rapid spread of the mpox virus and to provide timely care to those who may be affected.

Recommendations of the National Academy of Medicine

The institution indicated that if any symptomatic patient with monkeypox is detected, a health alert must be declared, which would imply the mobilization of resources to take the pertinent measures and thus break the chain of contagion.

The text states that the collaboration of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be requested to take sanitary measures in accordance with ethical standards and human rights.

“Ensure transparency in the handling of information, with due respect for privacy,” the statement said.

The academy noted that it is necessary to strengthen the diagnostic capacity of laboratories in the country and the genetic monitoring of the virus.

The agency asked the Venezuelan state to develop an active epidemiological surveillance program. It added that it is necessary to include clinical diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections in these surveillance reports.

Finally, the academy recommended that the State begin the necessary steps to guarantee the population future access to medicines, antivirals and vaccines.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a disease caused by the spread of the mpox virus, which can be transmitted from person to person, but also through objects and surfaces that have been in contact with infected people.

This disease causes lesions on the body, specifically in areas such as the mouth, throat, eyes, vagina and anus. Infected people transmit the disease until all lesions heal and the scabs formed on them have fallen off with the formation of a new layer of skin. The National Academy of Medicine explained that this process takes between 2 and 4 weeks.

The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern after the spread of the virus was confirmed in several African countries. This wave of infections was associated with the detection of the clade 1b variant of the virus, this strain has been shown to be more aggressive and easier to spread compared to other variants such as clade 1 and clade 2.

Photo: EFE

The clade 1b strain causes skin rashes all over the body, unlike the others in which lesions and rashes are usually limited to the mouth, face, and genitals.

Related news