Brazil has already recorded at least 16 cases of monkeypox

The Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, through the Minister of Health, confirmed Thursday night (23) two more cases of monkeypox involving residents of the municipality. These incidents add to the 14 other cases that have already been recorded in the country, as reported by the Ministry of Health earlier. Thus, there are already 16 cases that have been identified by health authorities. It is distributed over three states: there are ten cases in São Paulo, four in Rio de Janeiro and two in Rio Grande do Sul.

According to the prefecture, the two new confirmed cases include men between the ages of 25 and 30. None of them have a recent international travel history or traveler contact. Therefore, there are probably two original cases, that is, the infection occurred within the state.

Given the new events, the capital, Rio de Janeiro, now records three confirmed cases. All patients are isolated at home and monitored daily. According to the municipal health department, they present a good clinical development. The agency also reported that it is monitoring people who have been in contact with the infected. The city of Marica is responsible for another event that has already been confirmed in the state of Rio.

The survey published earlier by the Ministry of Health, although not counting the two new cases in Rio de Janeiro, included three cases in the state of São Paulo that were also confirmed today. All patients are male and live in São Paulo. According to the Ministry of Health, of the 14 cases reported so far, three were considered authentic. Another 11 cases were classified as imported, as the patients had a history of travel to Europe.

To date, there is no record in the country of cases that have developed into a serious condition. Both the Ministry of Health and state and municipal health authorities have reported moderate and stable clinical cases. In Europe, where more than 80% of the current outbreaks are concentrated, there is also no notification of deaths.

There are two known strains of monkeypox. One of them, considered more dangerous due to a mortality rate of up to 10%, is endemic to the Congo Basin region. The other, which has a case fatality rate of 1% to 3%, is endemic to West Africa and is what was detected in other countries in this current outbreak. It usually results in mild clinical pictures.

Monkeypox is known internationally as monkeypox, and it is endemic to areas of Africa. In May, new cases began to be discovered in Europe and the United States, sparking an international health concern. Since then, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2,000 cases have been reported in more than 40 countries.

The disease is caused by a virus from the smallpox virus family, such as human smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980. It bears this name because it was initially discovered in monkey colonies, although it can be found mainly in rodents. Transmission between people occurs through direct contact, such as kissing or hugs, or through infectious wounds, crusts, or body fluids, as well as respiratory secretions.

The infection usually results in a short period of fever, followed by the formation of lesions and nodules on the skin or a generalized rash. After contamination, the first symptoms appear between six and 16 days. The lesions progress to the crust stage, drying out and shedding after a period of two to four weeks. The greatest risk of exacerbation is in immunosuppressed people with HIV/AIDS, transplant recipients, people with autoimmune diseases, pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under 8 years of age, patients with leukemia, lymphoma or tumor malignant.

There is no specific treatment. For prevention, the patient should be isolated until all wounds have healed. It is also recommended to avoid contact with any material that the patient has used. Another measure indicated by health authorities is hand hygiene and washing with soap and water or the use of alcohol gel.