2023-08-18 17:00:00
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Mpox, from the English ‘Monkeypox’ and formerly known as monkeypox, wreaked havoc in Europe in 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a multinational outbreak of this viral infection and declared a public health emergency of international concern (ESPII). This state of emergency was declared on July 23, 2022, due to the increase in cases of the disease worldwide, and was maintained until May 10, 2023, the date on which the WHO declared the end of the emergency in response to the sustained significant decrease in the number of cases. However, the Mpox It already accumulates a total of 89,391 confirmed cases, 153 deaths and 113 countries reporting cases sometime.
In the last outbreak of Mpox in Spain, contained between August of last year and March of this year, 2,321 people were infected. And now they have been detected new cases in the world: 6 of them in Barcelonaaccording to data from the Generalitat Public Health Agency.
Barcelona is not the only city that has reported new cases. Since its last report, dated July 14, and until August 9, the WHO has confirmed 1,020 new infections of Mpox and three deaths from the infection, all three in USA. This increase in infections represents an increase of 1.2% in the total number of positives of this type of smallpox endemic to Africa.
According to information from the WHO, the number of reported cases has increased in regions of the western pacific, Europa y America. In addition, this smallpox has reached a new country, Trinidad and Tobago, which has registered its first three cases of infection.
However, the organization highlights that virus transmission remains low in most countries that notify cases, for which reason it does not see the need to create an alert against the disease.
mpox IN BARCELONA
In the Catalan capital the second outbreak of Mpoxfollowing the one that was closed in March 2023. The Epidemiological Surveillance office of the Generalitat has reported on the situation based on the 6 confirmed cases that are currently in the city, 2 detected in July and 4 in August.
Likewise, an epidemiological link between those infected is ruled out, so the hypothesis of a community spread, that is to say: the virus circulates profusely, making it almost impossible to trace the origin of the contacts. On the other hand, the entity considers that there may also be an underdiagnosis of smallpox, for which reason more cases could be confirmed soon.
Although the outbreak is likely to increase, experts They do not believe in the possibility that it has the same magnitude as last yearsince the population is being vaccinated more against the Mpox and the system is more prepared against infection.
what is the mpox or monkeypox?
The Mpox (formerly called monkeypox) is a zoonotic viral, or animal-transmissible infectious disease, belonging to the orthopoxvirus genus. The Variola virus, which causes smallpox, belongs to this group, and since the eradication of this disease, the Mpox has become the most prominent orthopoxvirus that affects human communities.
In the initial cases, the contagion of Mpox It usually occurs when human beings come into contact in jungle areas with animals or meat that has been contaminated with the virus, either through the blood, fluids or mucous membranes of the animal. It is considered that the rodents are the main carriers of the virus, although human infections have also been described in Africa due to the handling of monkeysGambian giant rats or infected squirrels.
It is transmitted between humans due to close contact with the contaminated person. It can be transmitted through contact with liquids, mucosa, excretions, saliva or direct contact with the infected person’s rashes and the lesions they produce.
Foto: Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Electron microscope (EM) image showing a monkeypox virion from a sample taken in 2003 from human skin. On the left you can see the oval-shaped mature virus particles, and on the right were the crescents and spherical particles of immature virions.
symptoms of mpox
The symptoms of Mpox are similar to those of smallpox, although different soup. In the early stages, the infection can manifest itself with fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. It is also common to develop a rash It usually starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, especially the hands, feet, and genitals.
The disease usually lasts 2 to 4 weeksand must be treated in high-level isolation units, because it is contagious.
disease treatment
According to the WHO, there are still no specific treatments against the virus. Mpox, although the symptoms of the virus usually resolve spontaneously. It is important to optimize clinical care for smallpox in order to alleviate symptoms and prevent long-term sequelae.
There is an antiviral developed to treat human smallpox called tecovirimat and marketed as TPOXX that was approved to treat seriously ill patients affected by Mpox. However, there is no solution to stop its transmission, for which the vaccine against the disease, which is 85% effective in preventing the spread of the virus.
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