Following the World Health Organization (WHO)’s declaration to consider mpox, formerly called monkeypox, with the new clade I variant, as a public health emergency of international concern, The Colombian Ministry of Health has strengthened surveillance and announced a series of recommendations for the disease.
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According to the portfolio, The main prevention recommendations outlined by the WHO They are based on the reinforcement and deployment of specific risk communication strategies, coordination with PAHO for the availability of vaccines, strengthening capacities for detection, diagnosis and treatment, among others.
As a first point, the above mentioned These are the reinforcement measures that the Ministry will implement.although he stressed that to date, the presence of clade I has not been documented in the Americas region, including Colombia.
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Meanwhile, they assured that Since the beginning of the outbreak in 2022, Colombia has recorded a total of 4,257 confirmed cases of mpoxwith a peak of cases during the declaration of PHEIC in 2022, caused by clade II. For the year 2024, 109 cases have been confirmed until August 8, of which 2 remain active and no deaths have been reported.
The territorial entities with the highest number of cases in 2024 are Bogotá (44), Cali (22), Barranquilla (13), Medellín (11) and Atlántico (5). The most affected age group is 30 to 39 years, with 53 cases, followed by the 20 to 29 age group, with 36 cases.
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Mpox clade I
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The Minister of Health and Social Protection, Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo, stated that “Colombia remains committed to monitoring and controlling mpox, working hand in hand with international recommendations to protect the health of all our citizens. We will maintain our prevention and response actions to prevent the spread of the virus.“.
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Since November 2022, the portfolio and the National University of Colombia, together with the Government of Japan, have worked on the study of the effectiveness, safety and immunogenicity of the Japanese MPOX vaccine.
In addition, Health care workers must continue to adhere to infection prevention and control measuressuch as the use of personal protective equipment and proper hand hygiene, as well as guidelines and protocols for dealing with possible cases.
(See also: It’s official: WHO declares mpox virus an international public health emergency)
Mpox clade I
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Propagation and recommendations
According to the portfolio, Both clades of the virus can spread through direct contact with infected wild animals.close contact (including intimate or sexual contact) with an infected person or with contaminated materials. According to WHO, one of the main risk factors for severe disease and mortality in cases of mpox is immunosuppression.
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For this reason, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommends that the countries of the Americas be alert to the possible introduction of clade I into the regionfocusing efforts on detection, diagnosis, isolation and contact tracing.
Although vaccination can help prevent infection in high-risk individuals, PAHO clarifies that, at this time, mass vaccination against mpox is neither necessary nor recommended.However, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection is taking the relevant steps for an appropriate response once guidelines are given regarding this measure.“, they say.
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