It is important to highlight that one of the patients was confirmed by laboratory techniques and the other, by the days of evolution, by epidemiological link.
The studies were carried out at the Central Laboratory of the Province and the case was confirmed by the ANLIS Malbrán.
From the Epidemiology area of the Province they detailed that the personas they began with symptoms between July 3 and 5.
From May 27 to date, twelve people with this diagnosis were registered in Argentina: five from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, three from the Buenos Aires province, three from Córdoba and one from Mendoza. Eleven of the twelve cases had travel history.
One of the cases presented fever, headache, myalgia, asthenia, pustules and scabs on the skin; the second case showed very mild symptoms. It should be added that they do not register risk contacts in our country.
The travelers consulted on July 7 at the Rawson Hospital where they suspected the infection and the corresponding samples were taken to make the diagnosis.
They were referred to the Central Laboratory of the province of Córdoba where the PCR test was positive for monkeypox and then sent to the ANLIS Malbrán where the result was confirmed on July 12.
It should be noted that the people remain in isolation and evolve favorably with home monitoring by the Rawson Hospital.
About Monkeypox
Although it is an infection that can be transmitted from animals to people (zoonosis), in our country and at present, person-to-person transmission is what becomes relevant. This condition is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family.
Transmission from one person to another can occur through Contact narrow with secretions from the respiratory tract, or lesions on the skin of the person with the infection or with objects recently contaminated with the patient’s fluids or materials from the lesion. It should be noted that, due to intimate contact with infectious skin lesions, sexual contact is a likely mode of transmission. It can also occur by inoculation or through the placenta (congenital monkeypox).
The incubation period is generally 6 to 16 days, but can range from 5 to 21 days.
As for the symptoms, during the invasion period (up to day 5), fever, severe headache, enlarged lymph nodes, muscle pain and fatigue may occur. One to three days following the onset of fever, different phases of the rash appear. They usually appear first on the face and then spread to the rest of the body. The most affected areas are the face (in 95% of cases), the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). In the presence of these symptoms, it is essential to consult a doctor.
These signs can last from 14 to 21 days, and the disease usually self-eliminates. The most vulnerable groups are boys and girls, according to the degree of exposure to the virus, their health status and the type of complications that may appear.
To prevent this disease, it is necessary to avoid close and/or intimate physical contact with unknown persons in areas with virus circulation and/or with those who have contracted the virus or who have been in contact with confirmed smallpox patients. The isolation of patients and those who are identified as close contacts is essential to prevent transmission, which is why the importance of early consultation for early diagnosis is recalled.
