Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

To date, not a single case of monkeypox infection has been registered in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, per Health Ministry.

The ministry assures the public that the epidemiological situation is under control, adding that there are all possibilities for laboratory diagnosis by PCR method to detect suspicious cases.

“Up until now, two monkeypox tests have been carried out. The test samples were sent to the Center for Control of Particularly Dangerous Infections. Both of the test results were negative,” the ministry said.

Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic disease (i.e., a disease transmitted to humans from animals). The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or through the eyes, nose, and mouth. From person to person, the disease can be transmitted through prolonged close contact. The main symptom of the disease is an unusual purulent rash that appears on the face and shortly covers the entire body.

Azerbaijan has become one of the first countries to apply to the World Health Organization to obtain tests for the detection of the monkeypox virus. Tests have already been officially transferred to Azerbaijan by the country office of the WHO. For now, there are no plans to conduct vaccination against monkeypox in Azerbaijan.

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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

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