Sesacre does not rule out the possibility of Mpox arriving in Acre and monitors the situation

0

The Secretary of State for Health (Sesacre), Pedro Pascoal, said in an exclusive interview with ContilNetthis Friday (20), which does not rule out the possibility of Acre registering cases of , known as monkeypox. Porto Velho, in Rondônia — a neighboring state — has already registered six notifications of the disease and four confirmed cases.

FIND OUT MORE:

The disease, formerly known as “monkeypox”, is a viral condition caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV), an Orthopoxvirus related to traditional smallpox. There are two large genetic groups: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb).

Today, the main form of transmission is direct contact with skin lesions, secretions or body fluids. Close and prolonged exposure to respiratory secretions may also pose a risk. The most characteristic sign of Mpox is the appearance of lesions on the skin. They usually go through stages: they start as spots, evolve into blisters with pus and, later, form crusts.

“Health Surveillance continues to strictly monitor this situation throughout Acre. There is, yes, the possibility of reaching the state, but it is a disease that, despite having a large repercussion, is not highly infectious”, stated the secretary.

One of the challenges about the disease is diagnosis. The lesions can be confused with chickenpox, herpes or other dermatological infections, which reinforces the importance of medical evaluation in the event of suspicious symptoms.

The good news is that, most of the time, the disease progresses mildly and self-limitingly, with spontaneous resolution within a few weeks.

“That’s why there is a certain amount of security. It won’t turn into a pandemic like Covid-19, but anyone who feels any symptoms should seek out a health unit”, continued the secretary.

Health barrier

Pedro was also asked about the implementation of a health barrier between the two states, but said that the legislation does not allow this in this specific case.

“Due to legislation and public health policy, we cannot create a health barrier. There are specific situations that require the installation of a health barrier, and this still does not justify it. But we continue to monitor intensely and train doctors to identify and treat cases early”, stated the manager.

Find out more about Mpox

Transmission does not occur as airborne or volatile as that of other respiratory viruses, but it requires attention. Situations with skin-to-skin contact, prolonged kissing, intimate contact or sharing personal objects increase the chance of infection, especially if there are active lesions.

It is a disease considered infectious. Although it has a large media impact, the virus is not classified as “highly infectious” in the sense of causing mass transmission through minimal casual contact.

The main form of control is monitoring suspected cases and monitoring those who have had contact with infected people.

If the patient presents symptoms (such as fever and skin lesions), they should seek any health unit for evaluation.

The authorities reinforce that there is a “certain certainty” that the disease will not become a pandemic along the lines of Covid-19, due to its biological characteristics and more restricted forms of contagion.