Smallpox of the monkeys, the quarantine is triggered in Italy? At the moment in our country, there are seven confirmed cases of Monkeypox, or monkeypox. All in good condition. Under investigation, a suspected case in the Marche: a 26-year-old fresh from a trip to France. Yesterday, a false alarm: a 22-year-old girl, residing in the Ligurian Levant, just returned from the Canaries was hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Clinic of San Martino in Genoa for a suspected contagion. The test then came back negative.
In recent days, the Ministry of Health has issued a circular on Monkeypox, explaining how case management must be carried out: from tracing, to vaccination, up to quarantine. And on this last point, there are many experts in agreement, from Matteo Bassetti a Fabrizio Pregliasco: «A 21-day quarantine is needed for close contacts of the infected». New quarantine in Italy then? Let’s go into detail.
Monkeypox, close contact quarantine is triggered?
Currently, there are seven confirmed cases of monkeypox in Italy, of which four hospitalized at Spallanzani in Rome. All in good condition.
In the circular from the Ministry of Health on monkeypox, there is talk of vaccine and quarantine. In essence, the ministry evaluates the possibility of vaccinating risky contacts, from close contacts to health workers. Just as – the text reads – the possibility of triggering the quarantine in some circumstances should be evaluated.
But what do the experts think? In an interview with Money.it, Matteo Bassettidirector of the Infectious Diseases Clinic of San Martino in Genoa, explained: “There is currently no risk of a major pandemic, but it is a situation to be watched for. I think that even those who have had certain contact with an infected person must remain in isolation and be careful about sexual relations. It is a disease that worries but does not frighten. We are not facing a new problem, Covid was a new virus, here we are facing something known». The infectious disease specialist is therefore in favor of a quarantine also for close contacts.
Of the same opinion, Fabrizio Pregliasco, medical director of the Irccs Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute. In an interview with beraking latest news he said: “Yes to one 21-day quarantine for close contacts of people infected with the monkeypox virus. In my opinion, when a person is informed that he is a close contact, therefore at the risk of becoming a secondary case, he should already take responsibility for himself and act accordingly. But when the fire is small, and at this stage it still seems to be, I believe it is right to be as protective as possible and therefore to imagine a quarantine arrangement also for close contacts, in addition of course to the isolation of patients already infected.».
And he concludes: “Moreover, in Italy quarantine is not done like in China, by walling up people alive at home, the measure should be fiduciary. Maybe verification phone calls would be enough“. So, Pregliasco is in favor of a 21-day quarantine for close contacts. The goal is to stem possible outbreaks.
However, the general manager of Spallanzani disagrees Francesco Vaia. During a meeting with the foreign press he stated: “We must overcome the concept of quarantine, for monkeypox it is not necessary. Quarantine is useless. Only those who are sick must be isolated: we must move forward with innovation, our health care must be able to move forward».
Monkey pox, symptoms to watch out for
In the interview with Money.it, prof. Bassetti he also spoke of the alarm bells to keep under control: “Symptoms are nonspecific like fever, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes near the site of the lesions. But the main symptom is skin lesions which can be located in any part of the body. There is a centripetal distribution from the face to the limbs. Also close to the genitals. The pustules are larger than those of chickenpox, resemble those of syphilis».