Around the world 1,500 cases of monkeypox have been infected, experts are dreaded! Poor control, it could be a newer version of syphilis.
Today (14 June 2022) Prof. Kiatkun Wasan Chantrathit Head of the Medical Genome Center Faculty of Medicine, Hospital (Hospital) Ramathibodi, along with Asst.Prof.Dr. Opas Putcharoen Head of the Emerging Clinical Center Chulalongkorn Hospital and regular teacher Department of Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and Mrs. Pilailuck Akkapaiboon Okada Head of the National Flu Center Department of Medical Sciences Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) joined to provide information about monkey pox in the forum, in-depth discussions, penetrating the issue of “small pox” and PCR testing.
Prof. Kiatkun Wasan said that for Pox, there will be people, horses, cows, monkeys, and insects, so it is not the same disease as Smallpox, which is an epidemic from person to person. And there is no information about the outbreak to animals. Use vaccination and human vaccination methods. Today the disease is gone. But it can happen when samples are released from two laboratories (labs) – USA and Russia.
“For monkeypox (Monkeypox), when genetically deciphered Found that species 1, 2 and 3. Species 1 and 2 have been in existence for a long time since 1971 in Africa. After 1978, there were outbreaks in foreign countries such as Nigeria. There is an epidemic in the Americas, which is found in 2 simultaneous epidemic species, namely B.1 and A.2, which have differences in the genetic code. Therefore, the observation that chickenpox is currently an old disease will be applied knowledge. may not be correct because there is already a mutation It may be like an emerging disease, so PCR test kits tested in 1978 may not detect the virus in 2022. Therefore, the old test kit must be used to test against the current epidemic,” said Prof. Kiatkun Wasan.
Prof. Kiatkun Wasan said that for monkey pox It is a contagious disease from animals to humans. In 1971, Nigeria Found the child infected and spread from person to person. Causes 500 patients. The rash is mainly on the face. easily noticeable but was not helped to control the disease It later spread to England, Israel, Singapore, and then it was undetectable. Come to be caught again in Europe at the reunion of men and women
“But there is concern. The rash was found in the shade, so the patient often went to the venereal doctor. because I don’t know Smallpox or genitals However, the current screening definition must be changed accordingly. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) asks for cooperation in venereal disease clinics. to screen for infection as well Another thing that must be emphasized is The smallpox is contagious. Even having sex with condoms can be infected. Because it is not a sexually transmitted disease that wearing a condom can prevent secretions. The UK advises those at risk to observe symptoms for two to four weeks, as it now appears to be a newer version of Syphilis if there is an uncontrolled outbreak. or become endemic because if there is no other rash will not be able to filter when someone enters the country As for the PCR test cost at a clinic or private hospital, the average cost is 1,500 baht,” said Prof. Kiatkun Wasan. In the worst way is The mutation is a sexually transmitted disease.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Opas said that the World Health Organization Monkey pox is also classified as a contagious disease that must be monitored. Currently, the number of cases is increasing, accumulating 1,500 worldwide, not increasing as fast as COVID-19. because it is not easy to attach and stick to a specific group in the hope that it can be dealt with expeditiously
Asst. Prof. Dr. Opas said that monkeypox is endemic to Africa. which is a viral disease Symptoms will depend on the stage of infection. The first phase is asymptomatic and takes 1-3 weeks to incubate. Later, it is a period of fever, and after 3-4 days, a rash appears and spreads throughout the body. Smallpox-like rash but less severe The rash will have different stages. Initially, the rash appears around the lips and body, then it forms blisters, blisters, and pustules. Similar to the blisters of chicken pox, then it begins to scab. However, during the onset of fever and rash, it is the period that the infection can spread. The severity depends on the person. If you are healthy and have no underlying disease The blisters are few and disappear on their own. At the same time, if a child is immunocompromised, there is a chance that the infection spreads a lot. The blister is severe. Compared to the number of blisters that occur, if more than 100 blisters are present, it is considered severe until death. But the mortality rate is 3-4 percent, and if there is a preventive vaccine, it can reduce the mortality rate. Note that monkey pox may also have enlarged lymph nodes.
“Monkey pox is not as scary as smallpox. but have to watch Because it is a new infection, the symptoms are not yet clear. Makes me not know that the case is increasing Most of the outbreaks did not show any symptoms of fever. But there will be a rash at all and strange to be found in the genitals that can be transmitted through sexual contact, even if it is not a sexually transmitted disease There are currently no cases of monkey pox in Thailand, so people in Thailand who experience symptoms such as a rash go to get tested for herpes, syphilis or other viruses. If you can’t find it, let’s suspect it and check for smallpox,” said Asst. Prof. Dr. Opas.
While Mrs. Pilailuck said that the lab examination of the Department of Medical Sciences A PCR method for mutation has been prepared that the applied primers can still detect today’s smallpox monkey pox. for the detection period In the first period, the infection will enter the bloodstream, so the blood test is possible, but it is a very short period. A sample can be taken from the throat cavity. respiratory system But the most accurate distance is during the rash This will pass at least 2 weeks after being infected. However, the virus naturally mutates to adapt to the nature of the virus inhabiting it. Therefore, it must be monitored whether it is as severe as COVID-19, but nowadays, it is still a contagious disease that must be monitored. Screening checkpoints have been set up at airports in countries with infected people. A lab is prepared for immediate infection testing.