HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — “We’ve got to hit it at the source,” mentioned Dr. Jill Roberts, Associate Professor for USF College of Public Health.”
Scientists around the globe are actually carefully monitoring monkeypox instances because the World Health Organization mentioned the global outbreak has escalated to greater than 50 international locations.
“People have been living very comfortably that monkeypox was an Africa problem. It’s no longer an Africa problem now that it’s spread to Europe and to the states and to all these places. So we never should’ve ignored it. We never should’ve pretended it was just an Africa problem,” mentioned Roberts.
This previous week, WHO confirmed greater than 3,200 instances of monkeypox however stopped in need of declaring it a global well being emergency which is taken into account the very best public well being alert.
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Global leaders are actually calling for communities around the globe to step up monkeypox surveillance, contact tracing and testing.
“The laboratories don’t normally test for monkeypox,” mentioned Roberts.
In Florida, the Health Department confirmed a monkeypox case in Pinellas County, with at the very least 22 instances throughout the state and greater than 173 nationwide.
“Your chances of being exposed to it are relatively low. However you should be aware of the symptoms,” mentioned Roberts.
Doctors mentioned an an infection begins with flu-like signs together with headache, fever, and physique aches. With monkeypox, specialists mentioned folks will discover swollen lymph nodes and a rash will seemingly comply with.
The rash will be all around the physique, mostly discovered on the arms and toes however with this outbreak, medical doctors mentioned they’re noticing one thing completely different.
“So this monkeypox is really presenting as a rash in the genitals and the anal area,” mentioned Roberts.
If you may have any of those signs you want to search medical care to assist restrict the spread.
“What will happen is they will aggressively go out and vaccinate any contact,” mentioned Roberts.
Health officers mentioned stopping the spread goes to require an intense response.
The virus is spread from extended, shut contact with somebody who’s contaminated or from their clothes or mattress sheets.
“Monkeypox, it cannot spread easily. It’s not going to blow up into a coronavirus-type situation. That said, the potential does exist for it to cause serious disease in the people who get it,” mentioned Roberts.
