Petropolis notes

health

Monkeypox: Rio already has 169 confirmed cases

The Ministry of Health announced antivirals for the disease on Monday

Photo: Pixabay

Wellington Daniel – Diary Special

The state health department reported yesterday (1) that Rio de Janeiro ended July with 169 confirmed cases of monkeypox (monkeypox). In the Serrana region, only one case was listed. The SES does not specify the notification municipality, but the municipal health department in Teresópolis already confirmed the first infected person in the municipality last week.

To Diário, Pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics at Unifase, Felipe Moliterno, explained that it is essential to continue hand hygiene and to avoid contact with sick people. “Human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through personal contact with respiratory secretions or skin lesions from newly infected persons or objects,” he said.

The rashes, which are the hallmarks of the disease, usually appear on the face and spread to other parts of the body, including the genitals.

The experts explained that “the rash goes through different stages and can look like chickenpox or syphilis, before eventually forming a crust, which then falls off. When the crust is gone, the person stops infecting others.” In the case of monkeypox, the lesions develop uniformly.

In addition to the 169 confirmed cases, SES reports that it has ruled out 129 cases and there are 26 under investigation. Petropolis’ municipal health department was asked about suspected cases in the city, but it did not respond until this edition closed. For Moliterno, don’t panic.

“We will not panic, we must continue to monitor cases and follow the handouts and evidence, always backed by scientific data,” he said.

“Importantly, although the disease was first identified in monkeys, the current outbreak has nothing to do with these animals,” the SES note said.

Brazil will receive an antiviral

Health Minister Marcelo Quiroga announced yesterday (the first) that Brazil will receive the antiviral tecofiramate to strengthen the fight against what he called the “monkeypox outbreak” in the country. The receipt will be through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and will cover the most severe cases initially.