MIAMI, United States. – The Cuban authorities reinforce epidemiological surveillance at all border points, in particular on people coming from nations with the presence of monkeypox, as reported on Monday Dr. Francisco Durán García, national director of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) of Cuba.
According to the official newspaper Granmathe country “works” to have a protocol ready for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, which has not yet been reported in the national territory.
Until this Monday, about 100 cases of monkeypox had been reported in a dozen countries, including Spain (which has the largest number of patients), the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal and Belgium.
Durán García specified that the virus that causes monkeypox is different from smallpox, a disease that plagued humanity in the past and was eradicated more than 40 years ago, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). ).
So far, there is no specific treatment or vaccine against monkeypox, although some drugs are beginning to be tested.
Monkeypox in Florida
Also on Monday, health authorities in South Florida reported a possible second case of monkeypox in Broward County, north of Miami-Dade.
The news was released just one day after a suspected first case was identified in that same county.
According to local media, officials have identified, located and isolated the patient and are attempting to trace possible contacts to identify anyone potentially exposed to the pathogen.
The possible second case of monkeypox is presumed to be linked to a trip abroad.
“It is a virus that is usually found in parts of Africa (…) It is normally an animal-to-human transmission, but there may be cases of human-to-human transmission,” said Dr. Sarah LaRosa in statements collected by the chain WPLG.
The specialist, medical director of the emergency department of the HCA University Hospital (Davie County) warned that, although the virus is not very contagious, it can be dangerous.
LaRosa said to WPLG that the effects of the virus usually start with a fever and other flu-like symptoms, and end up developing into a skin rash, also known as a rash.
For his part, Dr. Joshua Lenchus, acting chief medical officer at Broward Health, called monkeypox “significantly less infectious” than the COVID-19although he referred that the isolation and contact tracing measures are similar.
“We use the same type of mechanisms and methods of contact tracing that we use during COVID when you are exposed to another person and then you get it,” Lenchus told the television station.
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