Azerbaijan receives monkeypox testing kits from WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office has donated 3,000 test kits for the monkeypox virus to Azerbaijan for use in case of need, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Azerbaijan, Hande Harmanji said, News.az reports.

According to him, no case of monkeypox infection has been observed in Azerbaijan yet, but according to the information as of June 30, 2022, 5322 cases of virus infection and one death were registered in 58 countries.

"Azerbaijan is one of the first countries to receive these test kits from the WHO, and the tools in question will help identify cases and public health efforts aimed at preventing the spread of the disease. We aim to support countries with proven public health tools, including surveillance, contact tracing and isolation of infected patients. Early diagnosis is an important part of this effort," said Hande Harmancı.

Monkeypox is a disease caused by a virus usually seen in animals. Its symptoms are similar to those of smallpox seen in the past, but it is clinically milder (smallpox was eradicated in 1980 thanks to an effective vaccine).

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans through direct or indirect contact. Person-to-person transmission is through infected skin or wounds, including face-to-face
and may occur through direct contact with respiratory droplets.

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