In Ukraine, the laboratory confirmed the first case of monkeypox, the patient is currently in the hospital and has a mild course of the disease. Among the symptoms, he has a high temperature, a rash on his body.
The Ministry of Health reported this on September 15.
It was possible to diagnose the disease thanks to a PCR study, and an epidemiological investigation is currently underway.
According to the patient, he had no contacts with monkeypox patients and had not traveled abroad. Nevertheless, the appearance of symptoms of the disease and the preliminary results of collecting an epidemiological history indicate that the patient was infected in one of the large cities of the country.
Monkeypox is a smallpox-like disease that is similar to smallpox but with lower mortality and milder symptoms. Until 2022, monkeypox was recorded in Central and West African countries, while currently, more than half of all recorded cases are in South and North America.
It is possible to become infected by contact with an infected animal, but scientists are not sure what exactly with a monkey — in their opinion, smallpox is transmitted to humans by rodents. A person can catch monkeypox if he is bitten by an infected animal or after contact with animal fluids: blood, feces, saliva, etc. You can also get infected if you eat undercooked meat. At the same time, the disease spreads very rarely between people and is easily tolerated. This type of smallpox is characterized by fever and rashes. There is no special vaccine against monkeypox, but scientists are sure that the vaccine against common smallpox is also effective. In addition, it can be injected after contact with an infected person — this will greatly facilitate the course of the disease.
- Monkeypox has already been detected in some countries neighboring Ukraine — in Poland, Romania, and Moldova. The chief sanitary doctor of Ukraine, Ihor Kuzin, believes that the risks of this disease for Ukraine are quite low.