55 Cases of Simian Smallpox Confirmed in Mexico

Mexico's National Committee for Epidemiological Surveillance (Conave) confirmed that there are 55 cases of patients with monkeypox in the country, in nine states in a context where the World Health Organization declared this disease as an international health emergency.

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Together with the Ministry of Health, Conave informed that this figure includes reports up to July 23 and that 23 states have not yet declared monkeypox disease in their territory.

The institutional note reiterates that "the guidelines for epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnosis, in force since the beginning of the epidemic in May 2022, have guided the timely detection and confirmation of suspected cases".

On the other hand, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, explained the global outbreak of smallpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

In presenting recommendations to the members of the organization, the Mexican Ministry of Health stated that the declaration of an Espll is based on various assessments, not necessarily because it is a serious or rapidly spreading disease.

Even the WHO considers it to be mild, self-limited and of low transmission. Its clinical characteristics, transmission mechanisms and speed of spread are considerably different from Covid-19.

For this reason, the Mexican agency informed that the new phase of the recommendations for preventive interventions incorporates the issuance of a second epidemiological alert for smallpox for all medical and public health units.

One of the stigmas caused by seismic smallpox is homophobia and specifically men who have sex with men, as they are considered to be highly contagious.

On June 9, the Ministry of Health and health sector institutions "issued a strong call to eliminate messages linking the LGBTTTIQ+ population with smallpox, because it violates the human rights of individuals, undermines the access of this population to comprehensive and quality health services focused on people, and reduces the full state of well-being of this population".

According to Conave, so far seismic smallpox "has not been identified as a sexually transmitted disease" even though sexual contact is recognized as one of the causes of contracting the disease.