She considered the “information epidemic” more difficult than viruses and expressed confidence in the Saudi health system
The Director of Health Emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region at the World Health Organization, Richard Brennan, ruled out any impact on the pilgrimage season, due to the current outbreak of “monkeypox”.
While 780 confirmed cases of infection have been reported from 27 countries as of June 2, including 14 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 13 of them in the United Arab Emirates, and one case in Morocco, Brennan does not see the situation as worrying. and calls for exceptional measures.
In response to a question to “Asharq Al-Awsat” in this regard, during a virtual press conference organized yesterday, Brennan said: “It is sufficient only to take the necessary precautionary measures, early surveillance mechanisms, trace contacts and educate pilgrims, and in the event of any infection case, the Saudi health system is highly efficient. So that he can deal with any emergency.
During the conference, Brennan expressed his dismay at some information and misperceptions regarding the disease, which were reflected in some questions, including talking regarding vaccines as an essential tool in the confrontation. He said: “We do not need comprehensive vaccination campaigns similar to Covid-19, using old smallpox vaccines or new vaccines for monkeypox, but it is sufficient at this stage to take basic preventive measures to control the disease, such as isolating patients, tracing contacts, improving surveillance and laboratory examination. ».
He denounced the source of the misinformation that came in a question that indicated that the deaths in the current outbreak exceed any previous outbreak, and said: “All reports issued by the organization and health authorities in different countries indicate that no deaths have been recorded so far.”
Contrary to what is prevalent, Brennan, while correcting the information, indicated that “monkeypox” disease is much milder than chickenpox, despite the similarity of their symptoms, which are fever, body pain, rashes and suppurations, and he said that most of the infected are treated with supportive treatments without the need for Hospitalization, these supportive therapies are a group of medications that target the symptoms of the disease.
During the press conference, the Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Office, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, said that the misinformation corrected by Brennan during the conference “is more dangerous than the epidemic itself… The misinformation epidemic is more dangerous to health than virus epidemics, and this is a fact that we have closely touched during the Covid- pandemic.” 19, where misinformation caused some to refrain from taking vaccinations, to become easy prey for the disease.”
Al-Mandhari expressed his astonishment that among the recipients of this misinformation and its promoters were heads of state and politicians, some of whom died during the pandemic, because he did not recognize the existence of the disease in the first place.
As the theorist did not see any excuse for these people to believe in the conspiracy theory and to believe false information, he seeks some of it for the ordinary public, due to the current political turmoil in the world, and the accompanying talk regarding manufactured viruses and biological warfare, and he said: “This is a fertile environment for the spread of the conspiracy theory.” He called on health authorities and civil society to do more in the direction of awareness.
Al-Mandhari explained that monkeypox is a new disease in our region, noting that they are currently working in close coordination with the headquarters of the organization and other regions of the organization to learn more regarding the reasons for its emergence now in countries that are not endemic for the disease, continuing: “The situation is developing at a rapid pace, but the assessment is still The WHO risk to public health to date is average at the global and regional levels.
He also stressed that WHO does not recommend imposing travel restrictions, but called on anyone who feels ill during or following traveling to countries in West and Central Africa where the disease is endemic, to inform a health professional.
Investigations are still ongoing into the cause of the current outbreak, which caused the disease to spread from endemic countries to other countries, but genetic sequencing, which was conducted using samples from infected people, indicates that the virus causing the outbreak belongs to the West African strain.
During the press conference, the Director of Programs Department at the WHO Regional Office, Rana Al-Hijjah, denied what was reported regarding the occurrence of mutations in the virus that gave it a great ability to transmit, and that this explains its departure from the scope of endemic countries, and deplored: “This is also from the false information that is being promoted ». The argument reiterated that the monkeypox virus belongs to the type of viruses whose genetic material is “DNA”, and this type of virus, unlike “RNA” viruses such as the emerging Corona virus, which causes “Covid-19” disease, is its ability to On slow mutation.
And she talked regarding the treatment options available for the disease, and she said that most patients are treated with drug interventions that target symptoms, noting that there is a drug dedicated to monkeypox that has been approved, but the quantity produced from it is still small, and she also indicated that there are two vaccines that were produced for monkeypox, and the available quantities are still They are few too.
She explained that these vaccines will not be like the “Covid-19” vaccines intended to vaccinate the general population, but they will be intended only for contacts of patients, as they can be useful in preventing the emergence of the disease if given to them before symptoms of the disease appear, specifically four days following exposure to the virus.
In order to alleviate health systems and not need to provide large quantities of these vaccines, the argument says that the organization is working with countries where no confirmed cases have been reported, in order to increase preparedness measures, including educating the general public regarding the disease and its symptoms, and ensuring the ability of workers in The health care field supports the rapid detection and isolation of suspected cases, and the development of laboratory capabilities for rapid diagnosis of suspected cases.
Saudi Arabia
Switzerland
Pilgrimage
global health
monkeypox virus
