Monkey pox: a first suspected case detected in France – CNEWS

While several cases of monkey pox have been detected in Europe and North America, French health authorities reported a first suspected case on Thursday. In a note sent to health professionals, which we were able to consult, the DGS (General Directorate of Health) announces that a suspected case has been detected “today, in Ile-de-France”. If it is not yet confirmed, this is a first alert in France. Several dozen suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported since the beginning of the month in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Canada and the United States. “Any suspicious case must be reported” If the DGS notes that “at this stage, the cases reported are mostly mild” and that “there have been no reported deaths”, it nevertheless calls on health professionals to vigilance “in the face of any evocative case”. “Any suspected case must be reported without delay to the Regional Health Agency in your region,” she adds. A rare disease originating in Africa, monkey pox, also called Monkeypox, is characterized by fever, headache, muscle and/or back pain during the first five days. Then appear rashes, which reach the face, the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, in the form of lesions, pustules and crusts. If there is no vaccine or treatment yet, the symptoms last 14 to 21 days and the patient usually recovers spontaneously. Monkeypox is fatal only in very rare cases. The fatality rate would be of the order of 1% to 10%. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is due to publish its first risk assessment report on this new outbreak “early next week”.