As the second country in the Middle East to be hit by Monkeypox, the UAE detected another three cases of the new infection.
It was on this Sunday that the UAE Ministry of Health (MoHaP) reported three new cases of infection by the monkeypox virus, which brings the number of infected cases to four in UAE.
This is while the MoHAP had issued a statement back on May 22, assuring the UAE residents that it is “fully prepared” to handle the spread of monkeypox; “The technical advisory team for pandemic control has also prepared a comprehensive guide for surveillance, early detection of the disease, management of clinically infected patients and precautionary measures,” the MoHaP said in the statement.
And now, after more cases of the new virus being detected in the UAE, the MoHaP urged all community members this Sunday to follow appropriate preventive measures and careful precautions while traveling and avoid risky behaviors.
“Monkeypox is a viral disease, but usually a self-limited one, if compared to COVID-19. It’s mostly transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, including bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets, or with material contaminated with the virus. It can also be passed to the baby in the womb,” the MoHaP said in a new statement.
It also added that “all health authorities in the country are committed to a unified national medical guide for dealing with monkeypox-infected people and their contacts. This includes complete isolation of the infected in hospitals until they recover while quarantining their close contacts for a period of no less than 21 days at home.”
The UAE Ministry also called for obtaining information from official sources in the country, and for refraining from spreading rumors and false information, highlighting the importance of staying updated on relevant developments and guidelines issued by the UAE health authorities.
No UAE health official revealed any details about the new individuals infected. It is only clear that the first case was a 29-year-old woman visiting the country from West Africa.
The UAE is the first Gulf country to announce a case of monkeypox. But in the whole Middle East, the country stands the second after Israel, which reported the first known case back on Saturday, May 21.
Observers hold that the tourism interactions between UAE and Israel might have instigated the new partners share a similar trend on Monkeypox. These groups specifically refer to Tel Aviv’s effort to boost LGBT tendencies in the Emirati society. Israeli former culture minister has once openly referred to the move as a prerogative for political privileges. Queer groups are known for the highest rate of inflictions with Monkeypox.
How serious is this monkeypox?
After the outbreaks of the monkeypox virus in Europe and North America, the World Health Organization said the risk of the disease spreading widely like the way Covid-19 spread among the general population is very low.
However, the Organization has received reports of 257 confirmed monkeypox cases and about 120 suspected cases in 23 nations where the virus is not endemic as of this past Thursday, it said in a Sunday update.
Monkeypox, which is not usually fatal, can cause a fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face. The virus can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions or droplets of bodily fluid from an infected person.
There has been one reported fatality in the current outbreak to date. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said in its latest report on Monkeypox, that the country recorded six cases and one death in May.
According to the WHO, the risk at present to individuals in the general public appears to be low, but it may not stay that way; “immediate action from countries is required to control further spread among groups at risk, prevent spread to the general population and avert the establishment of monkeypox as a clinical condition and public health problem in currently non-endemic countries.”
