The majority of Uzbekistan's population has developed collective immunity against monkeypox, according to the Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being and Public Health Service. The agency has reported that the likelihood of the disease entering the country is very low due to effective isolation measures in European countries where cases have been recorded.
The report highlights that individuals born before 1980, who were vaccinated against smallpox, retain immunity that also protects against monkeypox.
"This group has collective immunity because the immunity formed after vaccination against smallpox is effective against monkeypox, reducing the risk of widespread transmission," the report states.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also indicated that the monkeypox epidemic does not pose a global threat comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hans Kluge, Director of the WHO European Regional Office, emphasized that there is no need for panic, noting;
"Monkeypox is not a serious problem on the level of coronavirus; we know how to deal with the Mpox virus."
To further prevent the potential spread of monkeypox, the Sanepid Committee has recommended several precautionary measures:
- Limiting travel to countries with a high epidemiological risk of monkeypox.
- Avoiding contact with wild animals and rodents, such as monkeys and rats, during business trips.
- Strict adherence to personal hygiene when in public places.
- Maintaining social distance and using medical masks when traveling with passengers displaying symptoms like fever or rash.
- Using medical masks and disinfecting hands after using public transport.
Earlier, Nurmat Otabekov, the Deputy Head of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being and Public Health Service, acknowledged the possibility of monkeypox entering Uzbekistan but assured that the risk of its spread remains minimal. The country has implemented measures to prevent the introduction of the disease, including the installation of infrared cameras at airports to remotely detect passengers with elevated body temperatures.
About Mpox
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family. The virus can cause symptoms like a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever, though most individuals recover fully, some may become severely ill.
The disease can spread through direct contact with infected people, animals, or contaminated materials, and pregnant individuals can pass the virus to their unborn child. Preventive measures include staying home until fully recovered, notifying recent close contacts, covering lesions, wearing a mask around others, and avoiding physical contact.
First discovered in monkeys in Denmark in 1958, the virus was identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Mpox spread primarily in Central, East, and West Africa following the cessation of smallpox vaccinations after 1980. A global outbreak occurred between 2022 and 2023. The exact animal reservoir of the virus remains unknown, but small mammals like squirrels and monkeys are considered susceptible.
On August 14, WHO declared Mpox, as an "international health emergency" after cases emerged in Africa. The following day, a case was confirmed in Sweden.
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