Nabough al-Awa, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University, did not rule out the possibility of monkeypox reaching Syria, particularly given the registration of cases in neighbouring countries.
Awa stated to Shaam FM, a station affiliated with the Syrian regime, on Saturday that while Syria has not yet recorded any monkeypox cases, the country is not immune to the disease, and its arrival cannot be ruled out, especially with infections reported in the UAE and Morocco.
He explained that the disease, which is prevalent in Africa, spreads from monkeys to humans through contact, droplets, or food contaminated with the virus. Symptoms include severe skin eruptions similar to those of smallpox.
Awa emphasized that there is no specific treatment for monkeypox, aside from painkillers and antipyretics, and noted that the disease can be fatal if the patient’s condition deteriorates.
Europe’s first case of monkeypox detected
In a related development, Sweden’s public health agency announced the detection of the first case of the new strain of monkeypox outside the African continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this new strain a “global health emergency” on Wednesday, following the report of 548 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of the year.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
