Slovakia anticipates sporadic outbreaks of Monkeypox

According to the Public Health Authority, there were no confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in Slovakia as of Tuesday, May 24.

Monkeypox is a disease spread by squirrels, primates, and humans that was discovered in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is now the most common orthopox virus infection in humans, following the eradication of smallpox and the discontinuation of universal smallpox vaccination.

Symptoms are:

fever.

headache

back pain

muscle pain

cold

fatigue

Enlargement of lymph nodes

The illness lasts for 2 to 4 weeks and Incubation lasts 6 to 16 days on average, but it can last up to 21 days also.

On May 7, a Nigerian traveller brought monkeypox into the country, resulting in the first recent case in Europe. Austria, Slovakia's neighbouring country, discovered and reported the most recent confirmed case. As of May 23, nine European Union countries, primarily in the Union's south and west, had confirmed 67 cases, with over 40 suspected cases under investigation.

According to the Public Health Authority, "neither Slovakia nor the Czech Republic had previously recorded cases of the disease." Monkeypox, on the other hand, is not endemic in Slovakia. The Authority stated that because Slovaks have a variety of travel options, it cannot rule out the possibility of monkeypox cases being confirmed in Slovakia.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, "monkeypox does not spread easily among humans" (ECDC). Human-to-human transmission occurs through "close contact with infectious material from an infected person's skin lesions, respiratory droplets in prolonged face-to-face contact, and fomites," according to the Centre.

According to the ECDC, the majority of new monkeypox cases in the current outbreak have been diagnosed in gay men. "The nature of the lesions in some cases suggests that transmission occurred during sexual intercourse," the ECDC said, despite the fact that people only had mild symptoms.

The European Medicines Agency has not approved a vaccine against monkeypox in the European Union. According to the ECDC, "early post-exposure vaccination with smallpox vaccine may prevent or reduce the severity of the disease." Slovakia's Public Health Authority anticipates sporadic outbreaks rather than a large-scale epidemic. According to the Authority, "there is a real risk of the disease developing."