Dundo - Health authorities in the province of Lunda-Norte denied on Wednesday the existence of a positive case of monkeypox at David Bernardino Hospital, appealing to people to remain calm.
Speaking to the press, the director of the provincial health office, Gimy Nhunga, said that there was only one patient who was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of herpes virus and not monkeypox.
He informed that, to confirm the patient's disease, samples were collected and sent to Luanda for laboratory tests.
According to the Ministry of Health, Angola has not recorded, so far, any cases of monkeypox and, as a precautionary measure, the National Contingency Plan for the Control of the disease has been reactivated.
The contingency plan aims to implement preventive and rapid response actions to a probable outbreak of the disease.
The plan guides as main surveillance and epidemiological measures, early arrest, investigation and confirmation of all suspected cases, identification of contacts, evaluation and monitoring of the spread and evolution of the epidemic, as well as the effectiveness of control measures.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from monkeys and rodents) and manifests itself through fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, swelling, generalized skin rashes (skin lesions).
The incubation period of the disease varies from 5 to 21 days.
To prevent it, the authorities advise frequent hand washing with soap and water or disinfecting with alcohol, avoiding direct exposure to monkey meat and blood, physical contact with people who show symptoms of the disease, among other measures. HD/DOJ
