Health Ministry: No monkeypox virus in Azerbaijan

Expert of the Azerbaijani Health Ministry, infectious diseases specialist Laman Galimova has said that presently, there is no monkeypox virus in Azerbaijan and sufficient measures are being taken to prevent its spread.

“This rare virus is similar in its symptoms to chickenpox,” she told Report, while commenting on the issue of whether the spreading monkeypox virus poses a danger to Azerbaijan.

The expert added that the virus is usually observed in West African countries, especially near rainforests. There are two main strains of the virus, namely, West African and Central African. Among the symptoms are fever, headache, swelling, back pain, muscle pain and weakness.

“When the temperature drops, the rash on the face spreads to other parts of the body. In most cases, the virus causes a rash on the palms and feet, and severe scabies. As these rashes turn into sores, they can leave scars on the body. Therefore, it is advisable not to scratch or touch the sores,” Galimova said.

She emphasized that the virus can spread through close contact with another person, as well as through skin scratches, respiratory droplets, eyes, nose or mouth by talking, coughing, and sneezing.

“The virus can be infected from a sick monkey, rat or squirrel, through the clothes of an infected person. The disease is usually mild, sometimes patients can recover within 2-3 weeks. Mortality rate is minimal,” Galimova said.

“I would like to note that the effectiveness of the vaccine against chickenpox has been proven to protect against monkeypox,” she said.