Vietnam cooperating with WHO to closely monitor monkeypox

This monkeypox disease, which mostly occur in the West and Middle of Africa, is milder than previously discovered smallpox in 1970. Until 2019-2020, patients infected with monkeypox were all related to these areas. However, since May 2020, many countries in the world have recorded patients with no clear relation to the endemic area.

WHO reported that until May 21 of this year, there have been 92 confirmed monkeypox patients and 28 suspected cases in 12 nations of England, Portugal, Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and the US, which are not the inherently endemic areas of the virus. WHO forecasts an increase in suspected monkeypox cases as it has expanded its monitoring scale.

The virus of monkeypox has similar structure and features to that causing chickenpox, but the disease is rarely fatal. Some of the symptoms that distinguish common smallpox from monkeypox are high temperature and a nasty rash appearing on the face and gradually on other parts of the body 1-3 days after the fever. They leave scars when disappearing.

Currently, related organizations and scientists are monitoring the disease status worldwide for appropriate warnings and timely treatments.

By Minh Khang – Translated by Yen Nhi