Health Minister María Begoña Yarza has announced that a health alert will be decreed throughout the country to strengthen the surveillance and control of monkeypox. It will come into effect following publication in the Official Gazette.
“We have strengthened surveillance with a special registration system, where you can immediately report that you have the disease. We have a system for registering suspected cases immediately; however, in addition to identification of the disease and a program to monitor cases, we believe that the time has come for us to use other tools,” the Minister explained.
The measure grants extraordinary powers to health authorities to prevent the spread of the disease. It is applicable in the event of the threat of an epidemic or other emergency that would imply serious risk to the health or life of the population. It will remain valid until September 30, 2022, and health authorities will have the power to terminate it early or extend it, according to health conditions.
Minister Yarza explained that the health alert provides instruments to respond in cases of monkeypox. “Many of these tools are administrative. They provide both national and regional health authorities with tools for resource purchasing, acquisition and organization; they allow the use of healthcare residences and they enable us to provide staff and to tender for resources earlier. In other words, they are tools to allow us to offer a more streamlined and timely response, which is what we want” she stated.
For example, regional authorities could order people with monkeypox infection, or suspected infection, to go into isolation. Healthcare residences will be made available for this purpose.
“Healthcare residences will allow carriers of the disease to isolate, depending on their condition. In situations that require hospital care, they will be isolated in hospitals; but in cases such as we have seen so far, where the patients have been in very good condition, we will use healthcare residences,” Minister Yarza explained.
Public Health Undersecretary Cristóbal Cuadrado discussed the preparations that the Health Ministry has made to monitor this emerging disease.
“On May 23, we formed a team that included the Pan American Health Organization, as well as technical teams and experts, to analyze Chile’s response to monkeypox. Since May 27, the country has had the diagnostic capacity to analyze PCR tests, allowing us to confirm or rule out cases. In addition, we are strengthening surveillance lines, giving instructions to the healthcare network, defining cases, improving the capacity of the country’s Regional Health Ministry Offices (SEREMI) to trace this condition specifically, establishing referral hospitals and making healthcare residences available throughout the country, all with the object of offering people safe isolation in decent conditions,” he stated.
Undersecretary Cuadrado also explained that, to date, six cases of monkeypox have been detected in Chile. Three new cases who have had contact with travelers or have traveled internationally have been registered, in addition to the three cases recorded previously.
Mario Cruz, International Advisor on Health Systems and Services at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Chile, stated that his organization has been assisting monkeypox preparations in Chile for a month. “We are pleased to see all the progress that has been made in the areas of detection, treatment, health personnel training and infection prevention, as well as the health alert that has been issued today. It is really about improving access to the supplies and resources that are required to raise the level of surveillance in Chile,” he indicated.
Dr. Cruz also explained that, for now, the risk of monkeypox is considered moderate, stating that “this risk assessment has nothing to do with the severity of the disease, but with the unusual behavior we are seeing. This is related to the number of countries affected and the number of cases observed, as the current situation differs from the small outbreaks that have occurred previously throughout the world.”
Yasna Alarcón, Coordinator of the Emerging Infections Committee at the Chilean Society of Infectious Diseases (SOCHINF), said that her organization has been coordinating with the Health Ministry since the first cases were detected in the United Kingdom. She took the opportunity to tell people to consult a health professional if they present symptoms associated with the disease. “The main symptoms that the disease now presents are genital skin lesions, which are often painful, and swelling of the inguinal lymph nodes. These are often accompanied by fever and other more general symptoms. If a person presents symptoms of this type, it is very important to arrange a consultation,” she stated.
Dr. Alarcón also explained that the disease is transmitted through skin contact, if skin lesions are present, and through very close contact, but not through sharing common spaces. She added that “evolution in most cases is benign and not severe. However, the period in which the disease can be transmitted is quite long, up to 21 days. That is why we recommend people who become infected to go to a healthcare residence, to avoid passing the virus on to others.”
To learn more about monkeypox, an option has been made available on the Salud Responde telephone number to access information about the symptoms of the disease and what to do if they appear. You can get in touch by calling 600 360 7777 and selecting option three.
From today, an epidemiological report on the monkeypox situation in Chile will be published every Friday at www.minsal.cl.