Government creates group and warns states about monkeypox

The federal government set up a group of experts and issued an alert to states in the face of new cases of monkeypox in the world. Brazil, so far, does not register suspected cases of the disease.

This Friday (20), Germany said that the first confirmed case in the country is that of a 26-year-old Brazilian, who was in Portugal and Spain. The man is in isolation in the city of Munich.

The Ministry of Health said in a note that it is following the case and has already requested additional information from the WHO (World Health Organization) and the German Ministry of Health. The Itamaraty was also contacted by the Sheetbut did not respond.

A “risk communication” issued this Thursday (19) by the Ministry of Health provides guidance for health professionals on the diagnosis and notification of the disease. Among other points, the document warns of the risk of contagion between people with more than one sexual partner.

“Health services should take steps to raise awareness of the potential spread of smallpox in communities of individuals who have casual sex or who have multiple sexual partners,” the statement reads.

Suspected cases, according to the folder, must be isolated, tested and notified immediately. Healthcare professionals should also start contact tracing “as soon as they suspect a case”.

The dissemination of risk communications by the so-called Cievs network (Center for Strategic Information on Health Surveillance) is common practice when there is a need for alert and response throughout the country.

The Ministry of Science and Technology established a temporary technical chamber with seven specialists from UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) and from Feevale University.

The group, according to the ministry, will act in a consultative manner, along the lines of the expert committee created in February 2020 to monitor the advance of the coronavirus.

One of the members is the president of the Brazilian Society of Virology, Flávio Fonseca, a professor at UFMG.

“In the case of the Brazilian, it is very clear that he acquired the disease outside Brazil. The fact that he is Brazilian does not change our perception. Of course, he will have to be accompanied, if he returns to Brazil”, says Fonseca.

“The number of cases is very large for a disease considered extremely rare. This had never happened before. What is happening now is absolutely outside the imaginable standards. It is an explosive, rapid and multicentric outbreak. We are very concerned”, he continues.

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 80 confirmed cases and 50 under investigation in 11 countries.

“We are still trying to understand the transmission dynamics [da varíola dos macacos]. How is it spreading so quickly? Was this already happening silently, and suddenly it is now being noticed? It is a virus of the smallpox family. It has the potential to spread,” says the virologist.

The researchers produced two technical reports on the disease, with information on the main forms of contagion and cases recorded in other countries.

The report explains that transmission of the monkeypox virus occurs after contact with infected animals. Between humans, the virus can be transmitted after direct contact with lesions or bodily secretions such as urine and saliva.

“Currently, there is no specific treatment recommended for monkeypox. Prior vaccination against smallpox in childhood can result in a milder course of the disease. However, currently in Brazil and elsewhere in the world, the original vaccines against smallpox are no longer available to the general public,” the document states.

In a note, the Ministry of Health said that it “sent to the states the information available on the disease so far, seeking to guide health professionals”.

“Monkeypox is an endemic viral disease on the African continent and, so far, there are no reports of deaths among the cases detected in non-endemic countries”, says the folder.