Image of monkeypox virus under an electron microscope. — AFP/VNA Photo

HCM CITY — The HCM City Health Department on Thursday confirmed Việt Nam’s second monkeypox case who was a friend of the country’s first patient who stayed together in the same accommodation in Dubai.

The 38-year-old resident of the northern province of Tuyên Quang, who visited Dubai from September 29 to October 18, has shown symptoms such as fever, nausea and blisters since October 11.

When the first patient noticed symptoms similar to her own, she immediately informed the HCM City health sector for assistance.

After receiving the information, the HCM City Centre of Disease Control (HCDC) and Tân Sơn Nhất airport medical staff took the woman into quarantine right upon her arrival at the airport for testing on October 19. The PCR test result showed that the patient was positive for monkeypox.

She was then taken to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for diagnosis and treatment. The plane she was on was also disinfected.

The HCDC will continue to track those who had direct contact with the patient so as to minimise the risk of spreading.

The first case of monkeypox in Việt Nam, who has fully recovered, was a 35-year-old woman who displayed symptoms such as fatigue, chills, muscle aches, headaches and coughing, as well as rashes on several body parts from September 18 while she was traveling in Dubai.

She was also confirmed infected with monkeypox in HCM City after returning on September 22.

According to the test results and genome sequencing, the patient had the monkeypox virus of clade IIb, a strain that has circulated throughout many regions of the world since the beginning of this year.

The health ministry has said recently that people entering the country from areas with monkeypox outbreaks would be monitored and suspected carriers will be quarantined.

The monkeypox virus is usually transmitted from animal to human, but experts suggested that the current worldwide outbreak is spread through close contact with patients.

Common symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, lymph node swelling, and rashes. The disease can also cause rashes similar to smallpox in the face, anus and genital areas.

The virus can be transmitted through bodily fluids, such as boils and blood, and also through objects that patients use.

Most cases will heal after 10-14 days and cannot spread after 21 days. However, to protect the community, people are recommended to take all the precautionary measures recommended by the health sector.

Plans and scenarios for dealing with monkeypox in Việt Nam have also been prepared.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak as infections rose globally. More than 57,000 people have been confirmed to have had monkeypox across 92 countries and territories, and 22 have died as of September 13. — VNS