Health min. reviews developments on monkeypox in Egypt

CAIRO – 14 September 2022: Egypt’s Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar reviewed during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday a report on the latest developments on the spread of coronavirus and monkeypox at the local and global levels.

He said the curve of coronavirus cases is going down.

As for the monkeypox, only one case was detected in Egypt coming from Spain and was isolated in hospital, he said, noting that monkeypox cases dropped by 8 percent globally.

He noted that his ministry took a number of measures to confront monkeypox.

Meanwhile, the minister reviewed medical measures due to be taken during the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, which is due to be held in Egypt in November.

He noted that hospitals are being fully prepared and 1.5 million COVID-19 rapid tests have been secured as part of preparations for the event.

Egypt’s ministry of health announced, Monday September 7, recording first positive infection of Monkeypox virus for an Egyption citizen. Patient was isolated in the hospital according to the ministry.

The ministry stated that the patient is 42 years old, and he is a holder of residency in one of the European countries.

The patient’s health condition was announced to be stable, as all health and precautionary measures have been taken with his contacts in accordance with the treatment and follow-up protocols approved by the World Health Organization.

Last August, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom said that Monkeypox infections continue to rise globally, with more than 35,000 cases across 92 countries and territories, and 12 deaths.

The majority of cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas, according to the United Nations News Center.

“The primary focus for all countries must be to ensure they are ready for monkeypox, and to stop transmission using effective public health tools, including enhanced disease surveillance, careful contact tracing, tailored risk communication and community engagement, and risk reduction measures,” said Tedros.