Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 23. The Belgian health agency recently issued a policy requiring monkeypox infected persons to be quarantined for 21 days; close contacts do not need to be quarantined, but their health conditions must be closely monitored.
The Belgian “Free Press” reported on the 22nd that in view of the long incubation period of monkeypox, the Health and Sanitation Bureau decided to issue the above policy after consultation with the risk assessment organization.
March 202113, people walk on the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium on the nearby streets. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Cheng
According to the Free Press, if someone has a suspicious rash on their body, they should go to the emergency department as soon as possible. Suspected and confirmed cases should avoid close contact with others.
A fourth case of monkeypox was confirmed in Belgium on the 22nd, according to multiple media reports. Belgian Health Minister Franck van den Brooke said on the 20th that monkeypox only poses a “low risk” to the general public at this stage.
According to the data of the World Health Organization on the 21st, since the 13th of this month, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases have been reported in 12 countries where the monkeypox virus is not endemic in three WHO regional offices. , so far no deaths. Confirmed and suspected cases are mainly from the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, while the rest are distributed in Belgium, Canada and the United States. WHO predicts that global monkeypox cases may increase further.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that is not easily transmitted from person to person, but may be infected by contact with the damaged skin, body fluids, and droplets of infected persons. Its incubation period is usually 6 to 13 days and may be as long as 21 days. The initial symptoms of infection include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes, which can later develop into a widespread rash on the face and body. Most infected people recover within a few weeks, and there have been cases of severe illness and even death. (Wang Yijun)