Morocco has just registered its first case of a variety of the monkey (Monkeypox – MPX), according to an announcement made by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, this Thursday, September 12, 2024.
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection said that the case has been detected as part of the health protocol adopted in Morocco since the start of the global health alert. The patient, which has been taken care of in a specialized medical center in Marrakech, is currently in a stable state of health and does not have complications.
Health isolation measures have been activated while national and regional public health emergency centers have launched surveys to identify and monitor all those who have been in contact with the patient.
This announcement comes in a context where the disease has already been identified in Europe, Asia, as well as in several African countries, thus highlighting its viral character.
Global health emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) decreed the MPOX World Sanitary Emergency following an important epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has spread to neighboring African countries.
In the DRC, epidere of the most affected epidemic and countries, nearly 22,000 cases and 716 deaths related to the virus have been recorded since January.
Reinforced health surveillance in Tunisia
In Tunisia, reinforced monitoring measures are set up, especially at the borders, in response to the WHO World Emergency Declaration. Although no case has been detected, the situation remains under close surveillance, particularly due to the challenges posed by migratory flows and the fragility of the Libyan health system.
The risk is all the greater since the uncontrolled influx of migrants from sub -Saharan Africa, often without any health control, could facilitate the introduction of the virus in Tunisia and Libya.
This combination of factors – the instability of the Libyan health system and the non -regulated entry of migrants – could make it extremely difficult to control a possible epidemic.
MPOX, a viral infection
MPOX, a potentially fatal viral infection, worried by its apparently more contagious clade variant. A case linked to an African epidemic was confirmed in Sweden, marking its first appearance outside the African continent.
The WHO believes that the fight against the new strain will also benefit the control of the less severe variant of the Clade 2, present since 2022. About 100 new cases of the latter are reported monthly in Europe.
Unlike COVVI-19, MPOX is mainly transmitted by close physical contact. The health authorities remain vigilant in the face of any changes, but no recommendation for wearing the mask is currently issued.
