Morocco records three suspected cases of monkeypox

RABAT - Three suspected cases of monkeypox have been recorded in Morocco, but no case has been confirmed so far, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection announced Monday.

"The three suspected cases are in good health, benefiting from the necessary medical supervision," said the coordinator of the National Center for Emergency Public Health Operations of the Ministry of Health, Mouad Mrabet, in a statement to the press.

He stressed that the three cases have been submitted to medical analysis pending the results, noting that the health executives have received training on the disease of monkeypox which has never been detected in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection, he said, has established an emergency interaction system in response to the international alert on monkeypox. This system defines the cases of the disease as suspected, probable or confirmed, as well as the procedure to follow for the health protection and treatment of contact cases, he explained.

The establishment of this system comes, said the official, as part of the proactive strategy adopted by the Ministry to address emergency and warning situations related to public health.

While the outbreak is unusual, it remains "containable" and limited, the World Health Organisation said, and it is convening further meetings to support member states with more advice on how to tackle the situation.

Monkeypox is a usually mild viral infection that is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It spreads chiefly through close contact, and until the recent outbreak has only rarely been seen in other parts of the world. The majority of the recent cases have been reported in Europe.

"We encourage you all to increase the surveillance of monkeypox to see where transmission levels are and understand where it is going," said Sylvie Briand, WHO director for Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness.

She said it was unclear if the cases were the "tip of the iceberg" or if the peak in transmission has already passed.

Speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Briand reiterated WHO's view that it is unlikely that the virus has mutated but said that transmission may be being driven by a change in human behaviour, particularly as people return to socialising as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted worldwide.

Many, but not all, of the cases have been reported in men who have sex with men, and Briand said it was particularly important to try to prevent sexual transmission.

Symptoms include a fever and a distinctive bumpy rash. The West African strain of monkeypox, which is the one identified in the current outbreak, has a mortality rate of around 1%.

While she said the outbreak was "not normal", she stressed that it was "containable". There are also vaccines and treatments available for monkeypox, she added, calling for appropriate containment measures, more research, and global collaboration.

"Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill," she said.