It is now monkeypox alarm, this disease, which has also arrived in Italy, is bringing almost the whole world to its knees. Even a dog was infected by contact with a man.
Since July, when there was the first death in Spain, there has been an escalation of cases too in Italy and the emergency was triggered in America and many EU countries, including France, where a dog was infected a few days ago.
Monkeypox: a dog infected by a man
And first suspected case was documented in Paris, where a four-year-old greyhound exhibited the typical skin and mucous lesions of the disease 12 days after his two owners, with whom he slept.
From the comparison of tampons it seems that it is the same viral genomebut the dynamics of the contagion are still to be clarified: while awaiting new investigations, the hypothesis of removing animals from infected humans is emerging.
It is not yet known, however, whether dogs and cats could be carriers of the virus. In Europe it has been recorded in some captive primates that had been in contact with imported infected animals. Contagion between pets, such as cats and dogs, has never been reported until now.
To change the cards on the table could be these suspicious cases. The infection seems to have started from the two owners of the dog, a 44-year-old man with Hiv (on antiretroviral therapy) and another 27-year-old seronegative man. The two showed up at the de la hospital Pitie-Salpetriere last June 10 with fever, headache and lesions on the skin.
Confirmed cases are approx 12mila in Europa, 740 only in Italy, where the Lombardy and at the head of all regions.
They keep increasing these summer days. The cases linked to travel abroad are 201. The median age is 37 years and most of the infections concern men (730 males, 10 females).
L’OMS declares to reduce sexual relations with people who do not know each other, especially for men, that would seem to be the main way of contagion.
Vaccines in the US are few and it is being understood how to intensify the doses; the same thing in Europe where the situation does not improve: France also has 2000 cases by now and in Italy 479 cases.
ECDC suggests that focus on the timely identification, management and reporting of new disease casesenhancing:
- actions aimed at tracking contacts
- the diagnostic capability for orthopoxviruses
- the availability of smallpox vaccines, antivirals and personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals