A first imported case of Mpox, or monkeypox, has been detected in Mauritius. The Mauritian Ministry of Health announced on Monday the launch of its operational plan against the spread of this disease.
- A first imported case of Mpox was recorded in Mauritius.
- The diagnosis was made after a positive PCR test.
- Nearly 87,972 cases of monkeypox were detected worldwide between January 1, 2022 and June 19, 2023.
On October 28, the Mauritian Ministry of Health declared that a first imported case of Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, had been identified in the country. The patient is a 49-year-old Nigerian national, who was hospitalized in Port-Louis and whose state of health “does not cause any concern”, according to a press release from the firm.
Case of Mpox in Mauritius: the patient was placed in isolation
After confirmation of the diagnosis by a PCR test, the operational plan against monkeypox was put in place by the health authorities: the patient was isolated and tracing of potential contact cases began.
According to the Pasteur Institute, 87,972 cases of monkeypox were detected worldwide between January 1, 2022 and June 19, 2023, including 52 cases in France. In July 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced, for the first time, that the Mpox outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) following its “extraordinary” spread in more than 75 non-endemic countries. The organization declared a second PHEIC in the face of the resurgence of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several neighboring countries, as well as the appearance of a new viral strain possibly more transmissible (clade 1b).
How to recognize monkeypox?
Less contagious than human smallpox, Mpox generally results in an incubation period of around twelve days before the first symptoms appear. After this time, the patient may suffer from a febrile syndrome including aches, headaches or even fatigue for one to four days. An eruptive phase then occurs for two to four weeks with skin eruptions in the form of small spots (maculopapular eruptions evolving into pustules, vesicles and crusts, etc.), which affect the entire body.
However, monkeypox may now present a slightly different clinical picture, particularly due to the clade 2b variant. “The epidemic which raged from May 2022 in Europe, linked to clade 2b – and which then spread to the rest of the world – shows more localized skin rashes, often on the genital or perianal areas”notes the Pasteur Institute
