The first case of monkeypox was confirmed in the Russian Federation. The disease was detected in a young man who returned from a trip to Europe and went to a medical institution with a characteristic rash. The fact was reported in the press service of Rospotrebnadzor (Federal State Agency for Health and Consumer Rights).
“The biosamples taken from the patient were promptly sent to the Rospotrebnadzor institution authorized to conduct testing for the detection of the disease. The tests of the biosamples confirmed monkeypox infection. The patient has been isolated and receives treatment at an infection control facility, the course of the disease being mild. There is no threat to the patient’s life. The patient had a limited number of contacts since his return to Russia. He lives alone in his apartment,” the report says.
All contact persons have been identified in a timely manner and are now under medical supervision. If they are found to have the disease, they will receive all the necessary medical care. Due to the timely start of the epidemic investigation, the risk of further spread of the infection has been stopped. According to Rospotrebnadzor, they monitor the situation closely.
“The first case was identified promptly due to the availability of test systems previously sent to the regions by Rospotrebnadzor’s Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology. Primary diagnostics with the help of these test kits is provided by 20 Rospotrebnadzor organizations, which receive biological samples from people with symptoms indicating possible monkeypox infection. Special attention is paid to those who have arrived from countries where cases of infection have already been registered, as well as patients with exanthematous diseases symptoms,” the press service noted.
Monkeypox in humans is a viral disease with smallpox-like skin lesions, but symptoms are usually milder than those of smallpox. As of July 11, more than 9,000 cases of the infection have been detected in 59 non-endemic countries and territories.
“Those vaccinated against smallpox have a reduced risk of severe course of monkeypox, since all pox viruses produce a good level of cross-immunity. Thanks to the mass vaccination against smallpox in the past, Russia has a significant herd immunity that can stop the spread of monkeypox. The Russian Federation has a sufficient quantity of reagents for the detection of the monkeypox virus, as well as other orthopoxviruses,” Rospotrebnadzor stressed.
As it became known earlier, pharmaceutical companies of the Russian Federation have begun research aimed at the creation of medicines for monkeypox.
Experts have assessed the risk of monkeypox giving rise to a new pandemic.