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Switzerland is considering purchasing a Monkeypox vaccine

Switzerland considers purchasing Monkeypox vaccine as cases increase. Learn about the transmission, symptoms, and potential vaccine options for this infectious disease.

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According to RTS, with the number of incidents of monkeypox increasing, Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) is considering purchasing vaccines against the disease.

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At least 3 infections have been confirmed in Switzerland. Following the initial infection at Bern, cases were reported in Zurich and Geneva. The initial two instances were related to international travel.

According to the FOPH, the monkeypox virus is mildly transmissible from animals (primarily rodents) to humans and from human to human. The most common mode of transmission is through contact with infected persons or animals. This is usually caused by direct mucous or skin or mucous membrane  (eyes, mouth, nose, genitals, etc.). Sexual contact with the infected individual increases human-to-human transmission. Contact with the infected large respiratory droplets, secretions or blood, or bites from affected animals can all result in transmission. Contact with contaminated items such as clothing, bed linen, or personal care items can also result in infection.

Swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle and back pain, shivering, and exhaustion are all symptoms. A rash with vesicles, pustules, and crusts appears after a few days, but this is not always the case. The rash usually starts from the face and spreads to other body parts, such as the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and the genitals. The incubation period usually lasts between 5 and 16 days.

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People with the condition are infectious from the time symptoms appear until the very last skin crusts fall off at the end of the rash. This procedure could take up to three weeks to complete.

Because the disease is present in the country, the FOPH is investigating vaccine options. Though there is no particular vaccine for monkeypox, many vaccines for other illnesses are effective. According to Linda Nartey of the FOPH, 1st and 2nd generation smallpox vaccines are impactful against monkeypox. These vaccines were used in Switzerland till 1972. According to Nartey, people who have received the above vaccines will most likely have some level of immunity, but the extent of this immunity is unclear.

A 3rd-generation smallpox vaccine approved in the EU that also protects against monkeypox is not currently approved or accessible in Switzerland.

According to Nartey, there really is no evidence that a new pandemic is on the horizon. Coronaviruses are more contagious than monkeypox viruses.

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