In the meantime, ten cases of monkey pox have been identified in our country, in addition to two probable cases. That reports health institute Sciensano. The age of the cases varies between 28 and 43 years.
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According to Sciensano, the patients currently are still only men who have sex with men (MSM) with a link to the Darklands festival in Antwerp in early May, or with a trip to Portugal or Spain. A number of clusters of infections have also been identified there.
“For one case, the possible source of contamination has not yet been identified,” Sciensano wrote on his site.
• Belgium buys 1,250 vaccines against monkey pox
Monkeypox is mainly found in West and Central Africa and does not normally spread easily. Several hundred cases have also been identified outside the region in recent weeks. The first case was in Great Britain on May 7. Last Wednesday, there were 118 confirmed cases in twelve European member states. They all appear to be mild, with no deaths.
an infection occurs through close contact, contact with skin lesions, through large droplets of saliva, or through contact with contaminated objects, clothing, or linen† Although the virus is not an STI, it can be transmitted through skin contact during sex. According to the Agency for Care and Health, persons with multiple sexual contacts must therefore be particularly vigilant.
Symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue can occur 5 to 21 days after an infection. Skin rashes can also develop on the face and/or genital area. It changes from a pimple to a blister, until eventually a scab that falls off. Most people recover within two to four weeks. Exceptionally, the complaints can become more serious.
Someone with skin lesions is contagious, although contagiousness cannot be ruled out before symptoms appear. That is still under investigation. Infected persons must isolate themselves in their own room, and wear a mouth mask and injury-covering clothing when they go elsewhere in the house. The isolation lasts until the lesions have dried and healed. Usually that is about 21 days.
All contact with animals and pets should also be avoided. There is a fear that the virus will start circulating in animals such as rats, hamsters and guinea pigs, making it ‘endemic’ in our regions as well, with flare-ups to be expected.
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