Two possible cases of monkeypox are being investigated at Puente Genil High Resolution Hospital. This was confirmed by health sources who did not give further details on this subject, although, from what it seems, everything indicates that the two cases would correspond to a young couple formed by a man and a woman. woman.
According to official information provided this afternoon by the Council’s Health Department, as of August 1 there were 334 active cases in Andalusia -22 of them in the province of Córdoba- 94 under investigation and 209 released that have been declared to the Network of the Andalusian Epidemiological Surveillance System (SVEA). Likewise, 206 previously confirmed cases are already inactive.
The incubation period (interval between infection and onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually 6 to 16 days, although it can vary from 5 to 21 days. The infection can be divided into two periods: The invasion period (between days 0 and 5), characterized by fever, headache, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), lower back pain, muscle pain and severe asthenia (lack of energy); and the rash period (between 1 and 3 days after the onset of fever), when the different phases of the rash appear, which usually first affect the face and then spread to the rest of the body. The most affected areas are the face (in 95% of cases), the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). The evolution of the rash from maculopapular (flat-based lesions) to vesicles (fluid-filled blisters), pustules, and subsequent crusts occurs in about 10 days. Complete removal of scabs can take up to three weeks. The number of lesions varies from a few to several thousand, and they affect the oral mucosa (70% of cases), the genitals (30%), the palpebral conjunctiva (20%) and the cornea. Some patients have severe lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) before the rash appears. This characteristic sign of monkeypox helps to differentiate it from other similar diseases.
The course of cases and their severity depend on the degree of exposure to the virus, the patient’s state of health and the existence of complications. The mortality rate varied greatly in the different epidemics, but in general it was less than 10%. To prevent the spread of monkeypox, it is advisable to maintain safe and responsible sexual practices, avoid intimate contact with people with skin lesions suggestive of monkeypox, avoid contact with clothing, bedding, towels , kitchen utensils, etc. sick, maintain good hand hygiene by washing them frequently with soap and water or by using hydroalcoholic solutions and always after contact with sick people, and wear a mask if contact with sick people is necessary.
If you show symptoms of illness, go to the emergency room of a hospital as soon as possible to assess the case and take the samples necessary for diagnosis, avoid close contact and sexual intercourse, stay at home, in a single room (if possible), and if you believe you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of monkeypox, monitor for symptoms of illness and take your temperature daily for 21 days from the last contact with the case. During these 21 days, you should exercise extreme caution, reduce social interaction, and avoid sex (especially high-risk practices).