More than 6,600 cases are listed Thursday in the country. Experts fear that the real figure will however be much higher.
Le Monde with AFP
The decision must make it possible to unlock funds, to facilitate data collection and to deploy more workforce to combat the disease. The United States declared, Thursday, August 4, the epidemic of variole of the monkey emergency public health.
“We are ready to set up our response to the virus and we call on all Americans to take the vario of the monkey seriously and to do what is necessary to help us fight against the virus,” asked the Minister of American health, Xavier Becerra.
The declaration, in force for ninety days, renewable, comes at a time when the number of cases identified in the United States is higher Thursday at 6,600-of which about a quarter are in the New New State York. Experts fear that the real figure will however be much higher due to sometimes very discreet symptoms, such as simple lesions. 2> some 1.6 million people at risk
The federal state has provided around 600,000 doses of the vaccine, marketed under the name of Jynneos in North America, Imvanex in Europe and initially developed for the smallpox. However, this number remains far from some 1.6 million people considered at high risk in the country.
The Ministry of Health had said last week that 99 % of the cases identified in the United States concerned men with sex with men. This population is the priority target for vaccination.
Conversely of previous waves in Africa, this new epidemic of variole of the monkey is mainly spread by sexual intercourse, but the American health authorities, CDCs, explain that other ways are possible, in particular the sharing of ‘A bed, clothes and prolonged face-to-face contacts.
The World Health Organization had triggered its highest alert level at the end of July in order to strengthen the fight against the variole of the monkey. On Thursday, the American Medicines Agency, the FDA, said it was studying the possibility of authorizing caregivers to administer five doses of vaccine from one by modifying the way it is injected.
The first symptoms of the variolate of the monkey are a strong fever, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash similar to that of chickenpox.