Is monkeypox treatable?

According to WHO, usually, monkey pox It is benign, has limited spread, and resolves on its own within a few weeks. However, in some cases doctors can use antiviral drugs to limit the spread and reduce the risk of serious illness.

During the monitoring process, the patient should not prick or break the rash on the body, but let it dry on its own. The patient can cover the rash with a damp gauze to protect the damaged skin if needed.

In particular, the patient should not touch any damaged skin in the eyes and mouth to avoid more dangerous disease. If you feel discomfort, you can rinse your mouth or use eye drops, but avoid using products containing cortisone.

In case the patient progresses seriously, it is necessary to immediately notify the nearest medical facility for help. At this point, depending on the patient’s condition, the doctor will prescribe different treatment methods.

Usually, experts recommend applying the human immunoglobulin method (Vaccinia Immune Globulin – VIG) in severe cases. In addition, antiviral drugs for smallpox have also been considered in some cases.

Several antiviral drugs have been developed to treat smallpox, such as Tecovirimat (TPOXX). This drug was approved to treat monkeypox in 2022.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent monkeypox, but experts say the vaccine against smallpox is up to 85% effective before monkeypox. That’s why people should inject vaccines prevent smallpox as soon as possible.

How to prevent monkeypox?

The Ministry of Health introduced measures to prevent monkeypox in the context of the disease spreading to many countries around the world. Measures include:

– Avoid close contact with people with smallpox, avoid direct contact with wounds, body fluids, droplets and contaminated objects and utensils.

– Wash your hands often with soap and common hand sanitizer.

– Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing.

– People with symptoms of suspected cases should actively contact medical facilities for timely monitoring and advice.

– People with symptoms of suspected cases should actively self-isolate and avoid sex; People who are confirmed to have the disease must be medically isolated until they are cured of the disease.

– People traveling to countries with endemic monkeypox should avoid contact with sick mammals such as rodents, marsupials, primates (dead or alive) that may contain pox virus Monkey season, do not eat or come into contact with wild animals, do not eat undercooked meat, or eat infected animal products.

According to WHO, as of May 25, 2022, the world recorded more than 158 cases of disease, 117 suspected cases in 19 countries and no deaths. The detected cases did not have a history of travel from an endemic area and the countries where the case was reported had no previous endemicity of monkeypox.

The confirmed cases are West African monkeypox virus infection and monkeypox virus-like trait that spread from Nigeria to several countries in 2018, 2019. WHO forecasts monkeypox epidemic will continue. continue to increase the number of cases in the near future.

There have been no cases of monkeypox in Vietnam so far. However, according to the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), functional units in the country are still closely monitoring monkeypox to prevent the disease from entering Vietnam. The Department is also working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promptly update information on the disease as well as response measures.