Call for vigilance. In the United States, health authorities are fighting back to avoid an epidemic of monkeypox, while the number of cases has doubled in a week in the country. A figure that remains low (45), but a dynamic to be stopped as soon as possible. What worries doctors most is the difficulty in identifying the symptoms and associating them with this disease.
“We have seen mild cases of monkeypox, sometimes limited to certain parts of the body, which is different from what is usually seen in countries where the disease is endemic” in Africa, Rochelle Walensky, the director, said on Friday. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). “This has raised concerns that some cases are going undetected,” she said, asking the public and healthcare professionals to be extra vigilant.
Similarities with herpes
Current cases do not always present with the flu-like symptoms (fever, etc.) that usually precede the appearance of the rashes characteristic of this disease. Also, while these rashes usually appear all over the body, many of the current cases are limited to certain areas.
“It is important to know that cases of monkeypox can resemble certain sexually transmitted infections,” such as herpes, “and therefore could be misdiagnosed,” Rochelle Walensky said. The mode of transmission is also the same as for most STIs, requiring close and prolonged contact between two people.
The United States is counting in particular on the vaccination of contact cases to stem the epidemic. The country has 100 million doses of ACAM2000, but is in the process of getting doses of another more modern vaccine, Jynneos. At the end of May, the United States had only 1,000 doses of this second remedy, compared to 72,000 today, Dawn O’Connell, of the United States Department of Health, said on Friday. And another 300,000 doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, she added.
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