UAE reports first case of monkeypox infection

The country's health ministry announced on Tuesday, UAE reports first case of monkeypox virus infection.

The patient is a 29-year-old woman from a West African country., officials did not specify, which one.

She gets the medical attention she needs, The Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement, disseminated by the state news agency Wam.

It described her as a guest in the UAE.

Over the weekend, officials urged hospitals and medical facilities across the country to immediately report cases with potential symptoms for further investigation..

Over the past few days, several countries in Europe and North America, including UK, France and USA, reported cases of infection with a rare virus, endemic in parts of Africa.

However, the medical authorities said, that there is little risk of spreading the disease.

Approximately registered worldwide 100 confirmed cases in addition to several dozen suspected cases, which are still under investigation.

No related deaths have been reported to date.. Doctors use a form of PCR swab test to identify confirmed cases.

In a Saturday bulletin, the World Health Organization reported, what is working on, to bring information to frontline medical professionals, to ensure early detection of cases.

"The situation is developing, and WHO expects, that there will be more monkeypox cases as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries”, - the message says.

What is monkeypox?

It's a virus, that occurs in wild animals, such as rodents and primates, and sometimes transmitted to people. It belongs to the same family of viruses, what is smallpox.

Most human cases occurred in central and western Africa, and outbreaks were relatively limited.

The disease was first identified by scientists in 1958 year, when research monkeys had two outbreaks of a "smallpox-like" disease - hence the name monkeypox. The first known human infection occurred in 1970 year with a boy in a remote part of the Congo.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox and how is the disease treated??

Most people with monkeypox experience only a fever., body ache, chills and fatigue. People with more severe disease may develop rashes and lesions on the face and hands, that can spread to other parts of the body.

Most people recover within two to four weeks without hospitalization, monkeypox can be fatal in 6% cases and is considered more severe in children.

Smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox, antiviral drugs are also being developed.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control recommended isolating all suspected cases, and offer high-risk contacts the smallpox vaccine. UK offers smallpox vaccination to high-risk contacts and encourages everyone, who can be infected, isolate until then., until they recover.

According to officials, in the USA there is 1000 vaccine doses, approved for the prevention of monkeypox and smallpox, as well as more 100 million doses of old-generation smallpox vaccine in public stocks.

How many cases of monkeypox occur each year?

WHO estimates, thousands of cases of monkeypox are reported each year in a dozen African countries. Most of them are in the Congo, where approx. 6000 cases, and in Nigeria, where approx. 3000 cases.

In the past, individual cases of monkeypox have been reported outside of Africa., including the US and UK. The cases were mostly associated with travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas, where the disease is more common.

IN 2003 year 47 people in six US states had confirmed or probable cases. They contracted the virus from domestic prairie dogs, kept near small mammals, imported from Ghana.