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Monkeypox: How to protect yourself while travelling to endemic countries

UAE has reported 13 cases of zoonotic viral disease so far

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UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) on Monday detailed how residents travelling to monkeypox endemic countries can protect themselves.

Countries in Africa have reported more than 1,500 suspected cases, including 72 deaths from eight countries. Monkeypox is considered endemic in Central and West Africa. Taking to Twitter, the authority shared a guide for travellers visiting these countries.

Travellers can protect themselves by:

— Avoiding contact with infected animals (dead and living)

— Refraining from eating or touching wild animals

— Washing hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant

The UAE has reported 13 cases of monkeypox so far.

Last week, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has issued isolation guidelines for confirmed monkeypox cases. Taking to Twitter, the authority shared a guide on the zoonotic viral disease that details all the relevant procedures.

Here is what an infected individual must do:

— The DHA will contact the patient to complete the isolation procedures.

— If the symptoms worsen, the patient must go to the nearest medical centre or hospital.

— The patient must remain in isolation either at home or in the institutional isolation facility for a period of 21 days.

Monkeypox, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.

Meanwhile, more than 30 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease as confirmed cases approach 1,500, most of them in Europe.

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Last week, WHO said 1,285 cases of monkeypox had been reported from 28 countries where monkeypox was not known to be endemic. No deaths have been reported outside of Africa. After the U.K., the biggest numbers of cases have been reported in Spain, Germany and Canada.

WHO said many people in the outbreak have “atypical features” of the disease which could make it more difficult for doctors to diagnose.

The U.N. health agency also said while close contact can spread monkeypox, “it is not clear what role sexual bodily fluids, including semen and vaginal fluids, play in the transmission.”

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