2024-02-13 05:04:45
Hripsime Khachatryan, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, declares that no cases of monkeypox infection have been registered in the Republic of Armenia.
“I call on individual users not to spread misinformation through Telegram channels,” he said.
According to the Ministry, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the last few weeks, around 80 cases of monkeypox have been reported in at least 12 countries, and another 50 suspected cases are being investigated. Cases of the disease have been confirmed in nine European countries (Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden), as well as in the USA, Canada and Australia. So far, cases of the disease have been reported in African countries or linked to travel to those countries.
It should be noted that monkeypox is a rare disease of viral origin transmitted from animals to humans, which is mainly recorded in remote regions of Central and West Africa. The virus is transmitted to humans mainly from wild animals, such as rodents and primates (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, etc.).
Monkeypox virus (Orthopoxvirus) is similar to natural poxvirus.
Infection from animals occurs as a result of direct contact with animal (infected) blood, biological fluids, as well as damaged skin or mucous membranes.
One of the possible risk factors is the consumption of meat from infected animals that have not undergone adequate heat treatment. Human-to-human transmission is limited and occurs primarily by airborne transmission and/or prolonged close contact with infected tissue.
Monkey pox is known to be transmitted through prolonged close contact, as well as through used towels and bedding. There is currently no specific treatment or vaccine for the infection, but it is hypothesized that previous vaccination against wild pox provides effective prevention of monkey pox.
The latent period of the disease usually lasts 5-21 days, the typical symptoms are: fever, severe headache, enlarged lymph nodes, pain in the back, muscle pain, marked weakness. A rash appears 1-3 days after the onset of fever, the rash starts on the face and then spreads to different parts of the body.
Despite the fact that the disease is much milder, the symptoms disappear on their own within a few weeks, but in some cases it can lead to complications and even death (mortality: 1%-10%).
In order to prevent monkeypox, it is necessary:
• avoid prolonged close contact with a person with symptoms;
• do not import exotic monkeys (primates) and rodents,
• subject all products containing animal meat or their parts to sufficient heat treatment, which protects against both this and other infectious diseases,
• avoid contact with monkeys and rodents when visiting zoos.
If you have traveled in Africa or had contact with a person who returned from there, in case of skin rashes and other symptoms, it is necessary to immediately consult an infectious disease expert.