Cases of monkeypox virus infection have been confirmed worldwide, and have now appeared in our immediate vicinity, Slovenia. The Public Health Institute of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) was asked to comment on the situation.
Some scientists claim that monkeypox is easier to transmit than it was before when a large number of the population was vaccinated against smallpox.
“Between May 13th and May 21st, 2022, 92 laboratory-confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox were reported in 12 non-endemic Member States for the monkeypox virus in three regions of the World Health Organization(WHO),” it was said in the response of the FBiH Public Health Institute.
Based on currently available information, “cases are mostly, but not exclusively, identified among men who have sex with men (MSM),” the Institute responded.
They stressed that the identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in several countries, without any connection to travel to endemic areas, is atypical, so there is a need to raise awareness about monkeypox and increase surveillance for this disease, to detect and isolate cases, provide care, track contact, and to limit further transmission.
“Although the scope of local transmission at this stage is not clear, as surveillance is limited, there is a high probability of identifying cases worldwide,” the FBiH Public Health Institute said in response.
The Institute pointed out that monkeypox is usually self-limiting, and that it was previously recorded that vaccination against smallpox protects against monkeypox.
The FBiH Public Health Institute, in cooperation with the cantonal institutes, will closely monitor the situation, and they have made regular contact with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (EDCD) and the WHO office.
