The Ministry of Health reported during the afternoon of this Sunday, June 12, that the first suspected case of monkey poxat the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, in the state of Vargas.
The detection took place this Sunday June 12 in a epidemiological siege that the authorities have in the main air terminal of the country.
#HealthCommunication ????
The Ministry of Popular Power for Health reports that through the epidemiological fence, the first suspected case of monkeypox was detected at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetia. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/68xgyhBuGq– MPPS (@MinSaludVE) June 12, 2022
The patient entered the country from Madrid, Spain, and had contact with two infected in the city of Barcelona in the Iberian country, reads a tweet thread published by the state agency.
“It was isolated Immediately, the pertinent tests were carried out and a sample was taken, showing a positive result, with stable health conditions, ”they indicated.
The country’s Health portfolio indicated that after the detection it is doing the screening in the chain of infections, to establish the epidemiological fence and prevent the disease, which has already been registered in different countries of America and Europe, from spreading throughout the country.
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What is monkeypox and how is it transmitted?
Monkeypox or pox simic It is a zoonotic disease caused by the virus of the same name, which means that it can be transmitted from animals to humans, and also spread between people.
It is not the same as smallpoxthe most transmissible and deadliest disease eradicated in 1980, but the monkeypox virus belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus, the same genus as the variola virus, which is the cause of human smallpox.
Hay two strains genetically differentiated monkeypox virus: the Congo Basin (Central African) strain and the West African strain. Human infections with the West African strain appear to cause less severe disease compared with the Congo Basin strain. The one currently circulating is that of West Africa.
It is transmitted mainly by direct or indirect contact with sangre, body fluids, skin lesions or mucous membranes of infected animals. Animal hosts include some rodents and primates, although further studies are needed to identify the exact reservoir of the virus.
On human-to-human transmission, the OMS explains that people are infectious as long as they have symptoms: usually between two and four weeks.
People most at risk are those who interact closely with someone who is infected, such as health workers, family members, and sexual partners. So far there is no evidence that the monkeypox virus is sexually transmitted: transmission occurs through close proximity and skin-to-skin contact.
The symptoms disappear on their own in most cases within a few weeks. However, some people may develop more severe symptoms or die, especially newborns, children, and people with underlying immune deficiencies.
Complications range from infections rashes, pneumonia, confusion, and eye infections that can lead to vision loss.