MPOX UPDATE (05): NEPAL, FIRST CASE
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Fri 16 Jun 2023
Source: The Kathmandu Post [edited]
https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/06/16/nepal-confirms-first-monkeypox-case
The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Friday [16 Jun
2023] the 1st case of mpox in the country.
Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, joint spokesperson for the ministry, said the
sample from a 60-year-old foreign woman tested at the Teku-based
National Public Health Laboratory found the disease.
The woman is currently under observation and is in a normal health
condition. “Further investigation and treatment is being carried out,”
the ministry said in a statement.
The woman had undergone a test at a hospital in Kathmandu with
symptoms similar to mpox.
The disease has so far been confirmed in 111 countries and is no
longer a public health emergency of international concern, the
ministry stated.
Mpox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus, with the chances
of 1 in 10 infected persons dying. Symptoms include fever, headache,
swelling, body pain, exhaustion, and itchy rashes on the face, hands,
and feet.
The symptoms usually start showing within a week but can start in 1 to
21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2 to 4 weeks but may
last longer in some cases, especially in those with a weakened immune
system.
People with mpox are infectious and can pass the disease on to others
until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has been formed.
Children, pregnant women and people with weak immunity are at a risk
of having complications from monkeypox, according to the World Health
Organization.
As the disease primarily spreads through close person-to-person
contact, public health experts recommend self-isolation and good
hygiene to avoid it.
The ministry has requested those with symptoms similar to mpox to
visit a hospital and seek proper advice from a doctor or contact the
ministry’s call centre at 1115 or 1133 for consultation.
The ministry has assigned specialists in designated provincial
hospitals to treat cases, said the ministry.