Brazil launches campaign on monkeypox

Entitled “Monkeypox: Stay Well with the Right Info,” Brazil’s Health Ministry launched a national prevention campaign on Monday (Aug 22). The idea is to educate Brazilians on transmission, contagion, symptoms, and prevention, in addition to providing guidance on what to do in suspected cases of monkeypox.

Around the world, over 41.5 thousand cases of the disease have been reported. In Brazil, as per the latest official update (Aug 21), confirmed cases add up to 3,788. The campaign warns that the main form of prevention is to avoid contact with infected people or contaminated objects, such as cups, cutlery, sheets, and towels.

Also underscored by the authorities is that the incubation phase of the virus can last from five to 21 days, with transmission possible during this period. Among the recorded cases, contagion occurs chiefly through skin-to-skin contact with lesions or body fluids. In infected people, fever, skin rashes, swollen ganglia, body pain, exhaustion, and chills among the most common symptoms.

At the launch ceremony of the campaign, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga pointed out that the fact that there is no specific treatment for the disease does not mean it is untreatable.