August 13, 2022, 4:54 PM
August 13, 2022, 4:54 PM
Monkeypox, also called monkeypox and monkeypox, is a disease that has caused a health alert in the world since May 2022, and on July 23 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a multinational outbreak of this infection. . In Bolivia, the first case was registered on August 1 and, to date, 11 cases have been confirmed through the laboratory.
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Why is it important to go to a health center if I suspect I have this disease? and why should I not be afraid of the test? We explain it to you:
1. – Monkeypox is a viral disease characterized by a rash or skin lesions that are usually concentrated on the face, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet. But those symptoms can also appear if the person contracts chicken pox, measles, herpes, scabies, syphilis and even a drug allergy. Therefore, it is important to go to the doctor to make the proper diagnosis. So, a suspected case of monkeypox may be another disease, or indeed it may be monkeypox, but to find out it is necessary to have a test.
2.- This test is available in Bolivia. The sample is analyzed both in Cenetrop and Inlasa (for the east and west of the country, respectively) and the results are delivered within hours. The person in charge of Urban Health Networks at the Headquarters, Jorge Quiroz, explained that there are three ways to take the sample: If the person has vesicles or blisters on the skin, a sterile needle or a scalpel blade will be used to burst it and, with a swab, withdraw the liquid and take it to a special tube, called a viral transport.
If, on the other hand, the patient is in the phase in which the vesicles have become a scab, the scab will be removed with a scalpel blade to, with the help of a swab, take a sample of the skin that is under it and, also take her to the means of transport. Finally, a pharyngeal swab can be done, the doctor explained. In none of the three cases, the sampling hurts.
3.- According to the World Health Organization and infectologists, monkeypox can be contracted through close or direct contact with someone who has symptoms and that contact can be: skin-to-skin, face-to-face, mouth-to-skin or touching infected sheets, towels, clothing, or other objects. It can also be spread through respiratory droplets. For this reason, suspected and confirmed patients are isolated. In Bolivia they are kept in home isolation; but, if the necessary conditions do not exist, patients are transferred to a health center for the duration of the illness, which is approximately 21 days. To date, six Bolivian patients are isolated in health centers. In addition, the contacts of confirmed patients are followed up.
4.- Monkeypox is not a disease whose symptoms usually disappear by themselves and, in very few cases, become serious. Therefore, the treatment is related, above all, to these symptoms, which can include fever, muscle pain, back pain and lack of energy. Currently, the 11 confirmed monkeypox patients are stable and none are seriously ill.
5.- There are medical brigades in the country that monitor suspected cases as well as those positive for mokeypox and their contacts. In a coordinated effort between the three levels of the State, doctors provide care through visits, but also virtually, through Telehealth.
