All cases of monkeypox in Ho Chi Minh City are male.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that all cases of Mpox detected in the city were men, of which 70% were homosexual and 60% were HIV-infected. Currently, 35 patients have been cured and released from quarantine, 2 severe cases died due to immunodeficiency.

“In the last two months of 2023, with the support of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control will carry out additional activities to strengthen surveillance and prevention of Mpox disease in the city,” the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed.

All cases of seasonal influenza in Ho Chi Minh City are men, picture 1 — All people infected with monkeypox were male (photo source Internet).

Accordingly, all clients using HIV prevention services, including testing and counseling, methadone treatment, ARV treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and post-exposure prophylaxis, are screened for suspected Mpox symptoms. Suspected cases will be assigned to diagnostic tests, while those with confirmed tests will be assessed for clinical status and assigned to appropriate treatment.

Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City HIV/AIDS Prevention Association implements counseling, screening, care and support activities for Mpox patients at all counseling, addiction and HIV/AIDS treatment departments of district and Thu Duc City health centers, HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics and community-based organizations.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that after 2 months of implementing the plan to strengthen surveillance and prevention of Mpox disease in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health will evaluate the results and hopes to proactively control the spread of Mpox disease in the city.

“This plan can only be successful with the active participation of community-based organizations and the cooperation of each patient and stakeholder.

Communication to create understanding and cooperation among patients, people in risk groups and the community is the key to success in controlling the Mpox epidemic," said the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, with increased proactive screening, the number of Mpox cases detected and reported may increase in the coming time. However, if patients are detected early and given timely advice to avoid infecting others, it will help to cut off the chain of infection, thereby controlling the epidemic.

According to the medical industry, Mpox is a disease transmitted directly from person to person through close contact such as skin-to-skin contact (including touching skin lesions, oral or anal sex), mouth-to-mouth contact (including kissing), mouth-to-skin contact (such as oral sex or kissing on the skin);

Talking closely with someone who is spreading the virus through respiratory droplets or sharing personal items (blankets, clothes, etc.) with someone who has Mpox can also cause infection.

However, when analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of the Mpox epidemic in the world from 2022 to present, WHO determined that the Mpox virus is spread mostly through sexual intercourse.

Anyone can get Mpox if they engage in risky sexual behavior; the use of ARV drugs for HIV treatment or pre-exposure prophylaxis is not a substitute for safe sex measures to prevent Mpox infection.

Monkeypox is a disease that can heal itself within 2 to 4 weeks; except for some cases of immunodeficiency, pregnant women, children... the disease can be more severe. Therefore, patients with Mpox or suspected of having Mpox need to be examined by a doctor, to assess their clinical condition to have appropriate treatment indications.

Mpox is considered a re-emerging infectious disease, previously only circulating in Africa. However, since April 2022, the disease has broken out in Europe and the US, and has been recorded worldwide. By the end of September, WHO had recorded 91,123 confirmed cases in 115 countries and territories, 96% of the infected people were men, more than 50% were people living with HIV.

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