Rabat – Morocco’s health ministry issued on May 20 an official document on monkeypox, relaying a wide range of information relating to the virus and the country’s strategy to manage the health risk associated with it.
Titled “Monkeypox: National Surveillance and Response Plan,” the document details the latest updates on the global spread of the disease, explaining how it raised concerns once it passed from Europe to the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, and even in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
As fears mount over the spread of Monkeypox, the ministry said that the disease is generally mild with a low mortality rate. However, its treatment and vaccines are not widely available.
In the document, the ministry further says that any suspected case should be reported immediately to public or private health institutions, who are responsible for contacting regional health authorities to verify the case and initiate epidemiological investigation should the case be classified as a probable case.
For each possible case, health authorities will transfer an investigation form to the National Center for Public Health Emergency Operations (CNOUSP).
The document, distributed to public and private health institutions, defines a “potential Monkeypox case” as any person suffering from a skin rash.
By “suspected case,” the note from the ministry designates any person presenting a skin rash, vesicular or vesiculo-pustular symptom, with a fever exceeding 38°C.
The document further defines probable cases as having had contact with a confirmed case in the 21 days after the onset of symptoms, any suspected case having traveled in the 21 days before the onset of symptoms, to a country where the disease is endemic or a country having recorded a chain of transmission since the beginning of May 2022.
The list of the countries where the disease is endemic currently includes countries of Central Africa and West, Europe, and North America.
Monkeypox is a generally mild and self-limiting disease, with most cases recovering in a matter of weeks, according to the World Health Organization. As for the vaccines, several studies point out that they are up to 85% effective.
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