my country’s monkeypox diagnosis and treatment guidelines released

Since May this year, several non-endemic countries around the world have reported cases of monkeypox with community transmission. In order to prepare for the medical response to monkeypox in advance and improve the ability of early clinical identification and standardized diagnosis and treatment, the National Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine organized and formulated the “Monkeypox Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2022 Edition)” and released it. According to the guideline, monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by monkeypox virus infection. The main clinical manifestations are fever, rash, and lymphadenopathy. The main source of infection is rodents infected with monkeypox virus. Primates (including monkeys, chimpanzees, humans, etc.) can also become sources of infection after infection. How does monkeypox virus spread? The guidelines state that the virus enters the human body through mucous membranes and broken skin. Humans are mainly infected by contact with infected animal lesion exudates, blood, and other body fluids, or by being bitten or scratched by infected animals. It is mainly transmitted through close contact between people, and it can also be transmitted through droplets. Contact with virus-contaminated items may also be infected, and it can also be transmitted vertically through the placenta. Sexual transmission cannot be ruled out. What are the symptoms of monkeypox infection? According to the guidelines, chills and fever appear in the early stage of the disease, and the body temperature is mostly above 38.5 ℃, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as headache, lethargy, fatigue, back pain and myalgia. Most patients present with swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin. A rash develops 1 to 3 days after onset. It takes about 2 to 4 weeks from onset to scab shedding. Complications may occur in some patients, including secondary bacterial infection at the site of skin lesions, bronchopneumonia, encephalitis, corneal infection, and sepsis. The guidelines state that monkeypox is a self-limiting disease with a good prognosis in most cases. Severe cases are common in young children and immunocompromised people, and prognosis is related to the viral branch of infection, the degree of virus exposure, previous health status, and the severity of complications. There is a certain degree of cross-protection against monkeypox virus in people who have been vaccinated against smallpox in the past. The guidelines make it clear that suspected and confirmed cases should be placed in isolation wards. Suspected cases are isolated in a single room. The patient’s body temperature was normal, the clinical symptoms improved significantly, and the scab fell off and could be discharged. Source: Xinhua News AgencyReporters: Xu Penghang, Tian Xiaohang