so you can avoid infection

by time news

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international health emergency due to the outbreak of monkeypox. Although its fatality rate is low, between 1 and 10%there have already been cases of deaths (two in Spain), which has put the health authorities on alert.

In the United States, a national emergency has also been proclaimed due to the unstoppable advance of this disease. Because this is the most affected country in the world, with 8,903 cases, and it is not known when the peak will be reached. A complicated situation that has forced the health authorities to work against the clock and take extreme precautions.

But it is of little use to give recommendations if the population ignores them. For this reason, awareness campaigns have been intensified to prevent infection, in addition to reinforcing vaccination strategies. It should be noted that the only antidote against Monkeypox (MPX) is Jynneos, developed by Bavarian Nordic, and its distribution is not being anything comparable to the doses against the coronavirus.

Being a much smaller production than a good part of the world’s vaccines, the main remedy against MPX is to prevent it and, therefore, to know its transmission routes.

How monkeypox spreads

Of all reported transmission types, the most common is sexual (skin-to-skin) encounter with 4,855 of 5,314 (91.4%) of all transmission events reported by WHO. Therefore, the organisms recommend limiting sexual activity with strangers or with people prone to becoming infected.

In addition to close contact, monkeypox can also be spread by contaminated surfaces. An investigation published by Eurosurveillance indicates that the virus is capable of surviving in certain fabrics or materials if the conditions are met. In this way, it is advisable to be especially careful with hand hygiene, since they are the most exposed extremities. As already happened with the outbreak of the pandemic, the hydroalcoholic gel and frequent hand washing is the best ally.

And like practically all viruses, MPX can also spread by air. However, research indicates that this is the least common method. One of those that corroborates it has been developed in Spain and in which the 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid, the Germans Trias-Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions and the Vall d’Hebron (both in Barcelona) have collaborated, with the participation from the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

In it, all the participants presented skin lesions, in the anogenital region (78%) and perioral region (43%). In this way, the study has observed that the viral load is greater in the swabs of lesions than in the pharyngeal samples, which points to a change in the route of transmission of the disease, in which contagion by air seems « less relevant than contagion by direct contact, ”says the publication.

Until this theory is confirmed, it is advisable not to neglect the use of masks in closed environments and as long as a safety distance can be maintained, which has been (and continues to be) the order of the day for so long in much of the world.

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