Although no circumstances of Monkeypox have been detected in South Africa to date, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says it stays on excessive alert for any circumstances of the virus.
The NICD on Wednesday briefed the media virtually on the multinational outbreak of Monkeypox.
Dr Jacqueline Weyer, from the Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, stated the institute had already taken steps because the worldwide outbreak developed.
She stated the measures put in place associated to surveillance, case investigation and call tracing.
“We are increasing vigilance and awareness in healthcare workers. So we are equipping them with tools to help them to identify these cases and then to work with all the different roles players within the public health sphere to deal with any cases if we have those,” Weyer stated.
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“We are also giving guidance for responding to suspected cases, how we’re going to deal with it step-by-step, and also guidance for healthcare workers on how they could go about managing any confirmed cases if there would be a need to do that,” she added.
Monkeypox is a virus that may be transmitted to an individual from contact with an animal, human or supplies contaminated with the virus. It is transmitted by way of pores and skin wounds, respiratory tract, or mucous membranes (eyes, nostril, or mouth).
The virus made headlines this month after 19 nations – together with the US, Canada and Australia – reported both confirmed or suspected circumstances of Monkeypox.
The latest circumstances of Monkeypox have taken scientists abruptly as a result of the virus is often very endemic, not extremely transmissible and customary in distant elements of Central and West Africa.
Simultaneous circumstances reported
Weyer stated the latest circumstances of Monkeypox have been unprecedented as a result of this was the primary outbreak of the virus to contain circumstances concurrently reported from numerous non-endemic areas across the globe.
“It is already the largest outbreak of Monkeypox recorded outside of endemic locations,” she stated.
The Monkeypox outbreak, Weyer stated, was linked to worldwide travellers with community-based unfold.
She stated the supply and linkage of the circumstances have been unknown at this stage, however investigations continued.
Mostly males affected
According to the NICD, based mostly on worldwide information, principally males have been being identified with Monkeypox within the nations the place circumstances had been reported. But to date, no fatalities had been reported.
“110 of the confirmed cases are male and they are in the age range of 20 and 59 years. There are also links for transmission for some of these cases in males that self-identify as men having sex with men,” Weyer stated.
She stated the sickness was often gentle and most of the people who caught it recovered inside two to 4 weeks, relying on the severity of the an infection.
“Person-to-person transmission really requires close contact. This is not a virus that is highly transmissible from human to human. It is not at all the same as the flu virus or Covid-19.”
Self-limiting virus
Weyer added that Monkeypox was a self-limiting an infection with none long-term negative effects and didn’t require vaccination.
“Although it seems to be actually horrible, the excellent news is that it’s a self-limiting illness.
“It’s one of those diseases that with most people, their immune system takes care of it and there’s not been any hospitalisation or medical treatment required.”
Mutations
Because Monkeypox is a member of the Poxviridae household of viruses, which incorporates smallpox, Weyer stated there had been no change within the virus over time.
“Here we’re dealing with a DNA virus and our expertise with a DNA virus is that they don’t really mutate in a short time.
“They’re very stable over time and you can even find that these viruses have no changes over decades.”
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