- The first human infection occurred in 1970 but by 2022 all cases had occurred in Africa.
- So far the only country in Latin America with cases is Argentina.
- The same measures indicated for the protection of Covid-19 work against monkeypox.
Although there is a risk that the monkey pox arrives in Mexico, this is not the time to fall into excessive concerns but to follow the basic hygiene recommendations. According to the authorities of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the probability that the disease will spread will depend on the opportunity with which it is reported and on medical knowledge, as well as on the policies established by the authority, in addition to There are no natural conditions in Mexico for that smallpox to be perpetuated.
In this vein, Francisco Monroy López, an expert from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics (FMVZ), explained that these viruses are not highly mutagenic. In fact, they are quite stable, but they may have adapted to new conditions. The fauna of nations where cases have been recorded, such as England, Spain, Canada or the United States, have also not been identified as natural carriers.
Conditions for the disease to spread throughout the world
In an interview, he defined the three factors by which a disease presents itself in conditions that it did not have before. The first has to do with the agent, that is, the virus that could be adapting better to different situations. Susceptible individuals also matter, because the percentage of the population that is immunized is less than 30 percent (the smallpox vaccine was no longer applied when the disease was declared eradicated in 1980), and this means that a similar virus, such as the mono, can be transmitted to the population.
Finally, the third is the environment, whose favorable circumstances cause the disease to spread. The natural way to acquire the virus is by contact with reservoirs, rodents or endemic animals. We must also think that there is illegal trade in exotic species on an international scale, from which infections could occur. It may be one of these factors, two of them or a combination of all, the cause of what is happening.
Monroy López mentioned that at the moment there is no specific treatment against the virus that causes the monkey pox, although there are some antivirals that have been tried. In the event that the outbreak begins to have a greater magnitude, which is unlikely, the management that would have to be given is through vaccines against smallpox, which have existed for decades and can be mass-produced.
Recommendations to stay protected from monkeypox
In any case, it will be important that there is a timely notification to the authorities in case of any suspicion. If there is discomfort, headache and muscle pain, fever, you should see a doctor. The main care is isolation, strict quarantine, and monitoring of people with whom the patient had contact so that they also isolate themselves.
Those who travel to countries where cases of the monkey pox should take precautions and avoid contact with other people. The measures we learned with COVID-19 are also valid for monkeypox.
In this way, the main ones are wearing face masks, hand washing and healthy distance. The latter helps reduce the risk of acquiring this disease to almost zero. In addition, it is necessary to be attentive to the indications that the authorities may provide in this regard, go to reliable sources of information, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and avoid being in contact with or acquiring wild or exotic fauna.
He also considered that the Ministry of Health (SSa) should already have a study related to this condition and an emergency plan if cases arise. He said that there are epidemiologists working on what measures are required immediately to prevent the potential spread of this disease. They must also define what actions will be taken to establish sanitary fences to keep it contained in a reduced space and population.
“We have hospital infrastructure and an excellent medical team in the country; Everything will depend on the strategy proposed by the authority being fast, timely and allowing the detection of the first cases to keep the disease contained.
Brief history of the disease
The university student remembered that monkeypox it was first detected in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While in recent weeks it has had an unprecedented expansion in Europe and North America.
He explained that it is caused by a virus and considered a zoonosis, because it originates in animals and is transmitted to humans; It is one of many that we share with them.
“It is called the monkey, but in reality the main hosts are not primates but different species of wild rodents, such as mice and squirrels endemic to central Africa: the majority of cases have occurred in Congo and Nigeria.”
A few years ago, he continued, there were occasional outbreaks outside the black continent, all caused by people traveling to endemic areas and getting sick on the way back to their country. Now, on the other hand, the presence of this disease has been demonstrated in people who have not moved to African territory.
Of a thousand people who become infected with the virus, 100 would show symptoms between eight and 14 days after infection (including muscle aches, fever and skin rashes) and, of these, two or three could die.
“That depends on how quickly they request and receive medical care, and their health conditions, although those under 16 seem to be more susceptible. The signs can last two or three weeks, depending on the immunological conditions of each patient”.
Surely the control of the disease will have a preventive management that includes vaccination; Treatment would consist of keeping patients in isolation, boosting their immune systems, and applying existing antivirals.