WHO issues statement on monkeypox

Re-infection with monkeypox is possible, such cases have already been, said Rosamund Lewis, head of the smallpox secretariat of the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency program.

As for lifelong immunity to monkeypox, by analogy with smallpox, it can be. However, in West Africa, we have seen a physician who had already been exposed to monkeypox later fall ill again,” the doctor said.

In turn, the head of the UN, Ghebreyesus, said that the number of confirmed cases of monkeypox infection outside the countries where this disease is typical exceeded 1,000. WHO received information about them from 29 states, the head of the organization said.

The United Kingdom was the first to report a case of monkeypox outside of Africa in early May. The virus was found in a Nigerian plane passenger.

Meanwhile, the first case of monkeypox infection has been confirmed in Poland. The patient is in a medical facility in isolation. The head of the Polish Ministry of Health did not provide any details about the patient and the region in which he is located.

Monkeypox is a rare viral disease. It is commonly found in western and central Africa. Cases of monkeypox infection have recently been reported in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Austria, Sweden and other countries.

Doctors are urging those who have been abroad and found themselves with symptoms similar to those of monkeypox - fever and rash all over the body - to see a doctor without delay. This also applies to those who have been in close contact with a person who is suspected of being infected.

The clinical manifestations of monkeypox include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and can lead to a number of medical complications. Monkeypox is usually a self-limiting disease, with symptoms lasting two to four weeks. Sometimes the disease is more severe.