Five people who had contact with a patient with a suspected case of monkeypox have been hospitalized in the Moscow region town of Zhukovsky. All are undergoing medical examination, reports infohub.kz.
According to medical officials, among those hospitalized are three men and two women aged 22 to 35. Their condition is assessed as satisfactory. No clinical manifestations of the disease—characteristic rash, fever, or swollen lymph nodes—have been detected in the patients so far.
Biomaterials have been collected from all contacts for in-depth laboratory testing. The samples have been sent to a specialized reference center.
Specialists from the regional office of Rospotrebnadzor immediately launched a sanitary and epidemiological investigation. The focus of possible infection has been traced, and the movement routes and full circle of contacts of the potential patient have been identified. An order has been issued to disinfect the premises.
Authorities emphasize that the situation is fully contained and under strict control of the agencies. Modern test systems are available in Russia to quickly confirm or rule out the diagnosis.
Earlier, in February of this year, isolated imported cases of the infection were already recorded in the Moscow region. However, experts assess the risks of widespread monkeypox transmission in the country as minimal.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote about concerns over a possible plague outbreak in Russia and the death of a 28-year-old female employee of a plague control institute in the Irkutsk region. It was initially reported that she had broken a test tube beforehand. A total of 197 people who had contact with the patient are under medical observation.