Could Monkeypox become the next pandemic?
Breaking news! BC’s first case of Monkeypox confirmed in Vancouver! Health Department is issuing an alert: face-to-face transmission is possible!
The BC CDC revealed that the first case has been confirmed by laboratory tests and is now awaiting further testing by the National Microbiology Laboratory, and the first infected person is now living in Vancouver.
The BC CDC revealed that the first case has been confirmed by laboratory tests and is now awaiting further testing by the National Microbiology Laboratory, and the first infected person is now living in Vancouver.
To protect the privacy of those diagnosed, the health department is not disclosing which community in Vancouver it is in at this time, but Vancouver Coastal Health has been notified and is actively testing, tracing, and quarantining.
At a noon press conference, Health Secretary Mr Adrian Dix, who had not been seen for a long time, said. “The risk of infection to the public is low at this stage, but we still want everyone to know that an infected person did show up and ask all close contacts to take all steps!”
We have just taken off our masks and are getting ready to return to normal life, though we have spared ourselves, but the viruses are not thinking of spared human beings, and there is a global outbreak of many viruses, following the unidentified hepatitis outbreak in children, this time it is the monkeypox virus.
Up to now, confirmed cases of monkeypox in North America and Europe are rising, while the main cases in Canada are still concentrated in Quebec, with 71 cases, 5 people infected in Ontario, and 1 person infected in Alaska.
Unexpectedly, after a month, the monkeypox virus finally appears in BC!
While announcing the first confirmed case in the province, the BC CDC is also specifically warning that there have been human-to-human cases in North America and that the virus is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids, ulcers, scabs and clothing of patients.
Not only that, but the monkeypox virus can also be transmitted through respiratory secretions (such as coughing or sneezing) when people are in prolonged face-to-face contact, so everyone needs to be careful!
In addition, the BC CDC also recommends that all people who develop symptoms wear a mask and cover all blisters and other symptoms immediately and go to the hospital, and that they need to be informed in advance so that the hospital can be prepared.
Mayank Singal, an epidemiologist in the province, said it is likely that the monkeypox virus entered the country from outside the province, and that those diagnosed have a history of recent travel or contact with people outside the country.
According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), the monkeypox virus has now made its way out of the African continent, with cases in multiple countries around the world, accumulating 920 confirmed cases, three times as many as a week ago!
Worryingly, the number of confirmed cases over the past three weeks is likely to be underestimated and the global risk level is assessed as “moderate”, with the virus having spread to more than 20 countries worldwide and 63 deaths already!
By WHO’s own admission, the risk of this monkeypox epidemic is likely to have been underestimated.
The UK has 77 new confirmed cases today, and the country has accumulated more than 300 people infected with the monkeypox virus, making it the largest outbreak outside Africa! Spain and Portugal in the same European continent broke out 156 cases and 138 cases respectively.
As of June 3, 31 confirmed cases have been confirmed in 12 states in the United States and two genetically different strains of monkeypox virus have been detected there!
The US CDC is raising the monkeypox outbreak alert level to 2 today and advises all recent travelers, out-of-state travelers, and those already showing symptoms to wear masks! Take health precautions!
U.S. health officials confess that evidence suggests that the virus may have been spreading undetected within the country for many years. Genetic sequencing test results show that the monkeypox cases in the United States are the result of two different strains of monkeypox virus, both belonging to the West African branch.
World Health Organization information shows that there are two branches of monkeypox virus – the Congo Basin branch and the West African branch, with the former having a mortality rate of up to 10% and the latter having a mortality rate of less than 1%, which may also be the reason why there have been no fatal cases in the United States.
However, the simultaneous spread of two different strains of the virus under the same branch means that there are now at least 2 waves of outbreaks occurring simultaneously in the United States!
At this time, Health Canada has not released the sequence of the virus strains of those who have been confirmed.
It is important to note that the initial outbreak of monkeypox was mainly spread by sexual intercourse between people of the same sex, but now the interpersonal transmission route has been further expanded, and touching the infected person’s clothing and wounds, and prolonged face-to-face contact are at risk of infection.
In addition to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Israel and other countries with a high number of cases, new cases in some places have gone beyond known contacts and there is an unknown chain of transmission.
This monkeypox epidemic has really caught Canada off guard, after all, the smallpox vaccine has been stopped for decades. The province of Quebec is now open to fight, and the United States is also handily ordering 13 million doses of smallpox vaccine, ready to control the epidemic.
There are now less than 100 confirmed cases in Canada, but further expansion cannot be ruled out in the future, and the millions of Canadians who have not been vaccinated against smallpox are basically all susceptible.
The monkeypox virus belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, but is much less severe, with symptoms including fever, headache, swelling, back pain, muscle aches and rash.
In the global furore of the monkeypox epidemic, this virus finally enters BC, the first case is still in Vancouver, as the Minister of Health said, regardless of whether the risk is high or low, the virus is still there, I hope we still pay more attention to some!