Monkey pox, Dasho: People who have had the smallpox vaccine are immune

2024-08-17 18:30:00, Sociale CNA

The well-known doctor, Erion Dasho, spoke during a TV interview about the virus known as "Monkey Pox". He says that people who have had the smallpox vaccine, who belong to the 40-year-old generation and above, because 40 years ago this vaccine was removed from the vaccination calendar, when it stopped circulating, when smallpox disappeared as a disease, have a seed immunity also to Monkey Pox.

He says there is no room for panic.

"It is a situation that is being followed very carefully, with a lot of attention here in Europe, by the European public health authorities", he emphasized. Not even earlier than yesterday, the instruction was issued immediately in response to the first case detected in Sweden, and it is a situation that is being followed very closely. Detailed instructions have been issued for all member countries that include recommendations for citizens, recommendations for public health bodies, recommendations for doctors, so it is under control.

The risk to European citizens is generally assessed as low, assessed as very low. Some categories are exempt, they are those who have contact with people who return or travel to the countries of Central Africa, where there is the largest number of cases of the outbreak in question.

What is it caused by?

This is a viral infection similar to Chicken Pox, similar to a disease that once existed and now no longer exists - Black Pox or Pox - which belongs to the same family of viruses.

I repeat, the disease that circulates, the closest to Monkey Pox, is Chicken Pox, which to some extent approaches cross immunity. This means that children or people who have had Chicken Pox have a higher protection against Monkey Pox.

This is a situation which, as far as the risk in Europe is concerned, is assessed as low. Exceptions are made for people who have contact with people returning from Central African countries, and again within this group there are also people with compromised immunity, especially people living with HIV/AIDS, who are the people who go through the most severe forms of infection from smallpox.

It is a disease that circulates; and in Europe there are still cases. Several hundred cases have been reported, but belonging to the other subtype, subtype II.

Mpox virus because now this word Monkey Pox is a little controversial, because the monkey is not that it has any role in this disease and it is not reserved. Reserved are some rats or some Central African rodents. Since it was discovered for the first time in monkeys, the name Monkey Pox has remained, but it has nothing to do with monkeys as a disease. Since the citizens know it as Monkey Leap, we will continue to refer to it with this term," underlined Dr. Love.