First Monkeypox Case Recorded in Qatar

The WHO recorded 14,000 monkeypox cases and five fatalities globally on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) reported the first case of monkeypox in Qatar on Wednesday.

The case was discovered in a foreign visitor returning to Qatar. According to MOPH, the patient is being isolated at the hospital and is getting the appropriate medical care in accordance with the national procedure for addressing confirmed cases of monkeypox.

Anyone who had close contact with the confirmed case has been tracked down and will be watched for the next 21 days to see whether the monkeypox symptoms get worse.

MOPH further said that all required protective measures for the early detection of suspected monkeypox cases had been implemented. National laboratories now have detection and diagnosis capabilities, as well as revisions to rules and standards for disease management.

MOPH, in collaboration with the WHO, is keeping a close watch on the global and regional epidemiological situation to assure the healthcare sector's preparation and capacity to keep a tight handle on any potential developments.

MOPH advised community members to follow preventative health advice, especially when traveling, in the notice.

What is Monkeypox?

According to Qatar's MOPH, monkeypox is a viral virus that typically occurs in the tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa and may occasionally spread to other places.

The virus was identified in 1958, and the first human case was reported in 1970 in Africa. This is not, however, the first time the virus has moved outside of the African continent.

People infected with monkeypox typically have a fever, a chickenpox-like rash, muscular pains, shaking, enlarged glands, and other health issues.

The WHO states that monkeypox is unlikely to become a pandemic

A rash arises 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms and generally begins in the face before spreading to other regions of the body.

The rash begins as raised patches and progresses to little blisters filled with fluid before converting into scabs that fall off.

The symptoms normally go away in a few weeks, but persons with monkeypox can spread it to others.

Although Monkeypox is caused by the same virus as Smallpox, its symptoms are less severe.

Because the virus spreads through intimate contact, it is readily managed with preventative measures such as self-isolation and basic cleanliness.

“Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, however, reported cases thus far have no established travel links to endemic areas. Based on currently available information, cases have mainly but not exclusively been identified amongst men who have sex with men seeking care in primary care and sexual health clinics,” WHO reported.

“What seems to be happening now is that it has got into the population as a sexual form, as a genital form, and is being spread as are sexually transmitted infections, which has amplified its transmission around the world,” said WHO official David Heymann, an infectious disease specialist.

The WHO announced in late May that it remains unlikely that monkeypox turns into a pandemic, according to the Associated Press.

According to current statistics, there are 14,000 monkeypox cases worldwide with five deaths reported in Africa, the WHO confirmed on Wednesday.