14:00 | Chimbote, Aug. 8.
The Regional Health Directorate (Diresa) of Ancash today confirmed the first two cases of monkeypox in this department: they are men living in the district of Chimbote, province of Santa.
One of the cases is a 32-year-old citizen and the other a Venezuelan who has lived in Chimbote for three years. Both patients have a history of HIV, said Jaime Salazar, head of Epidemiology at Diresa Áncash.
He explained that the cases they were treated on August 2 and 3 and only on the night of August 6the National Institute of Health (INS) notified the confirmation of monkeypox infection.
“Both patients are in quarantine and their contacts have already been identified who will be followed up for 21 days to find out if they develop the disease or not,” he said at a press conference.
He added that there are three other suspected cases of this disease, two of them are patients from Huaraz. The results of the INS studies are awaited.
care
The specialist urged citizens to comply with the prevention measures referred to by the health authorities. “Basically it is the same care that we apply to protect ourselves from covid-19, hand washing, use of masks and social distance”, he pointed out.
He clarified that it is not a sexually transmitted infection, but that the contagion occurs through close contact with infected people or with the wounds caused by the disease.
“If someone is suspected of having acquired this disease or develops the characteristic wounds, they must isolate themselves and keep their distance from other people to avoid infecting them,” he mentioned.
He said that the first symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, and then rashes break out. He pointed out that the incubation period of the virus is between 5 to 10 days.
“There is no specific treatment for this disease, because it is a virus, the medicine that is supplied is symptomatic, that is, to reduce the discomfort caused by the disease,” he said.
He clarified that, on a national scale, of all the cases identified so far, only 1.5% of patients have required hospital isolation and the rest have been quarantined and treated in their homes.
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(END) GHD/MAO
Posted: 8/8/2022