Health watchdog urges to quarantine monkeypox suspected case in Dak Lak

After receiving the report of the health sector in Dak Lak Province about the suspected case of monkeypox in Dak Lak Province’s Cu M'gar District, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health yesterday requested the Department of Health of Dak Lak Province to urgently take samples for testing of suspected monkeypox cases and send them to the institutes of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Pasteur Institute for diagnostic testing.

Moreover, the local healthcare sector must conduct isolation and treatment of suspected cases. Above all, cross-infection and infection with medical staff must be taken into account during taking care of the patient.

In addition, the local health sector must keep an eye on those who had close contact with the suspected monkeypox case during travel abroad and in Vietnam. health monitoring and timely handling of the outbreak should be conducted to prevent the epidemic from spreading to the community.

At the same time, responsible agencies ought to promote the strict implementation of disease surveillance at border gates, supervision at medical examination and treatment facilities and event-based surveillance in the community for early detection and timely prevention of epidemics. Training of health workers at grassroots medical clinics and large infirmaries should be carried out. Medical examination and treatment facilities and infection prevention and control at testing and medical facilities are ready for isolating, admitting and treating patients infected with monkeypox.

According to information from the infectious disease surveillance system, a 59-year-old man in Dak Lak Province’s Cu M'gar District was suspected of being infected with monkeypox on November 2.

The patient said that on October 19, the patient took a plane from Vietnam to South Africa to travel. During the trip, he went to many places and interacted and shook hands with many people. He returned to Vietnam on a flight to Hanoi-based Noi Bai Airport on October 26.

From October 26 to November 1, the patient had close contact with everyone in his family and the people around him. On November 1, the patient showed signs of pain in the joints and appeared many red pimples on the abdomen and back, the patient made a medical declaration and self-isolated at home.

For prevention of the monkeypox epidemic, the Ministry of Health recommended that people take proactive measures to protect themselves and people around such as covering their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, preferably with a cloth, handkerchief, disposable tissue or sleeve to reduce the spread of respiratory secretions.

Moreover, people should wash their hands with soap and clean water or antiseptic solution immediately after coughing or sneezing.

People with symptoms of an acute rash of unknown cause accompanied by one or more suspicious symptoms should actively contact a medical facility for timely monitoring and advice. At the same time, they need to self-isolate and avoid sexual intercourse.

People traveling to countries with endemic monkeypox (Central and West Africa), should avoid contact with mammals such as rodents, and marsupials because these animals may contain the monkeypox virus. When returning to Vietnam, people need proactively declare to the local health agency for advice.