After Reporting the First Case of Monkeypox in Morocco: Is It More Dangerous Than Coronavirus?
The Moroccan Ministry of Health confirmed on Thursday the first case of monkeypox in a man in Marrakech, adding that the patient is in stable condition and there is no cause for concern. The ministry did not provide details about the case and did not specify which variant of the viral infection was recorded. It stated that his condition is stable and that his contacts have not shown any symptoms.
In this context, a new strain of the virus, more deadly and widespread than previous strains, has been identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, raising concerns about the spread of this virus.
Demi Oguna, an infectious diseases doctor and head of the World Health Organization’s emergency committee for monitoring monkeypox, warned about the dangerous mutations occurring in monkeypox and the challenging conditions of combating this disease.
Hans Kluge, the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, confirmed the existence of a new strain of monkeypox, scientifically named “Clade IB,” adding that there’s much more to learn about this new strain according to experts, but it may have a greater ability to spread, making it more dangerous.
However, the same expert confirmed that monkeypox is “not a new COVID-19 pandemic,” because authorities are well-versed in controlling its spread. He added that “together we can, and indeed must, tackle monkeypox.”
Hans Kluge assured that there will be no need for a “general lockdown,” emphasizing that we are not facing another COVID-19. Monkeypox spreads very slowly, unlike the coronavirus, which saw a large spike in cases shortly after it was identified in China, jumping from several hundred to several thousand cases. In one week in January, the number of cases increased more than tenfold.
Additionally, the coronavirus and monkeypox viruses are completely different from each other; the former is classified under coronaviruses and the latter as an enveloped virus. This makes COVID-19 more capable of spreading and creating variants, according to the “American Society for Microbiology.”
Moreover, experts add that coronavirus is a respiratory virus that spreads when an infected person breathes out small droplets laden with the virus.
Since COVID-19 spreads efficiently through the air, it is difficult to control. In contrast, monkeypox can be transmitted through respiratory secretions but is not primarily a respiratory virus, making it less transmissible.
Monkeypox spreads primarily through direct (usually prolonged) contact with an infected person, especially when touching the rash caused by the virus or bodily fluids.
It is notable that most people recover from monkeypox within two to four weeks. The illness can be severe, and even fatal, in certain cases, such as those with chronic diseases, but the fatality rate is not close to that of COVID-19, as statistics show.
Experts believe that the COVID-19 pandemic should be a lesson for the world to quickly contain any new epidemic and help the countries where it appears promptly to limit its spread. They emphasize that the best way to curb the spread of the monkeypox epidemic is to provide African health authorities with the vaccines needed on a large scale to contain and eliminate it.
In this context, Tayeb Hamdi, a doctor and researcher in health policies and systems, stated that Morocco, like the rest of the world, “is threatened by the risk of spreading this virus, as the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency; this necessitates Morocco’s participation in the global effort to contain it by raising awareness among citizens and health professionals about the disease… as well as enhancing vigilance and monitoring.”
