Of the nine suspected cases of monkeypox (monkeypox) in Brazil, one has already been ruled out, in Ceará. The other suspects, five are male and three are female. There are two cases under monitoring in hospitals, as reported by the Monkeypox Situation Room of the Ministry of Health.
The Situation Room aims to disseminate guidelines for responding to cases of this disease in Brazil, as well as direct surveillance actions regarding case definition, notification process, laboratory flow and epidemiological investigation in the country.
Patrícia Carvalho, a member of the command of the room, said today (8), during a webinar promoted by the ministry, that, among the eight suspected cases, two are in Santa Catarina, in the municipalities of Blumenau and Dionísio Cerqueira. Two others are being monitored in Rondônia. “These are a couple from Rio Crespo (RO)”, he said.
There is also a suspected case in São Paulo (capital); one in Pacatuba (CE); one in Porto Alegre; and one in Corumbá. According to Patrícia, the suspected case in Corumbá “is a Bolivian man, who is hospitalized and is being followed up in Brazil”.
“Of the suspected cases, three have histories of travel outside Brazil,” she added, referring to people who came from Portugal, Argentina and Bolivia.
The representative of the Department of Health Surveillance, Janaína Sallas, detailed that, of the eight cases in a suspicious situation, five are up to 28 years old. The five males are aged between 15 and 51; and those of the female sex, aged between 25 and 27 years.
So far, according to Brazilian authorities, there is an increase in confirmed cases in at least 31 countries. The number is 1,077 cases, most of them in countries where the disease is endemic, located on the African continent.
“This disease is an unusual and unexpected event in non-endemic areas. It is an agent with a high potential for transmission by contact through droplets, mainly through bodily fluids, and there is a need to ensure assistance – which includes treatment, laboratory capacity, protective equipment, and decontamination”, said Janaína Sallas. .
Patrícia Carvalho also highlighted the importance of notifying, as soon as possible, suspected cases that show signs and symptoms such as fever, skin rash and adenomegaly (a type of tongue). As transmission can be through body fluids, droplets or contaminated materials, she suggests, as a preventive measure, the use of masks and hand washing.
Europe
The representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Wildo Navegantes, spoke about the international epidemiological scenario, especially about the cases of smallpox in monkeys registered in Europeans who acquired the disease without having gone to endemic countries.
“Apparently, the outbreak started in mid-April. There are some cases of transmissions related to sexual activities. Largely involving casual, multi-partner sex,” he said.
According to experts, the vaccine against smallpox shows good results against this version, which is usually more present in monkeys and rodents. “Unfortunately, a study done in the UK showed that only 14% of people in the community would get the vaccine if they had access to it,” he said.
“But the most incredible thing is that only 69% of contacts belonging to a group of health workers said that if they had the vaccine available to take, they would accept to take it. We believe that data like this involving health professionals, 100% should adhere to it”, lamented the PAHO representative.
Historic
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, when two outbreaks of a smallpox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. The first human case of this variant was recorded in 1970 in Congo. It was later reported in humans in other Central and West African countries.
Monkeypox re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017 after more than 40 years with no reported cases. Since then, there have been more than 450 reported cases in the African country. Between 2018 and 2021, seven cases of monkeypox were reported in the UK, mostly in people with a history of travel to endemic countries.
