A case of monkeypox confirmed in a small child

The Ministry of Health confirms a case of monkeypox virus infection in a child The child is in a stable and non worrying condition and is placed in isolation.

The Health Inspectorate visited the child's day care centre in the early afternoon.

Contact tracing was carried out and the relevant persons were informed. The day care centre concerned remains operational, with no other children showing symptoms at this stage. The children and adults who had potential contact with the infected child are not at risk of developing severe forms of the disease. Nevertheless, the Health Inspectorate will remain in daily contact with parents and staff at the day centre to detect any onset of symptoms.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus that has been circulating in Europe for several months. On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.

Although the virus has so far spread mainly within certain communities, the infection can affect anyone.

It is recalled that the disease can cause the following symptoms:

  • Pimples on the body (on the face, in the mouth, on the palms, soles of the feet, on the sex and anus, on the chest or limbs);
  • Fever;
  • Swollen and painful lymph nodes under the jaw, in the neck or in the groin;
  • Sore throat;
  • Headaches;
  • Muscle pain;
  • Fatigue.

The strategy to reduce human-to-human transmission of monkeypox is based on the following measures:

  • Early detection of possible cases through contact tracing;
  • Early identification of suspected cases of infection by specialist assessment and diagnostic confirmation by PCR;
  • Isolation of infected patients;
  • Implementation of infection prevention and control measures in the health care sector;
  • Vaccination of persons at risk.

Press release by the Ministry of Health

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