Bogotá, August 11, 2022. Given the confirmed circulation of monkeypox in the country, registering 84 cases as of August 11, it has been known that transmission depends on people being exposed to circumstances such as close physical contact, which involves body secretions and fluids of an infected person in two possible ways: a. Directly in kissing, hugging, licking, having face-to-face contact, generalized skin-to-skin strokes or touching and rubbing the patient's lesions, or b. Indirectly, when personal items are touched or shared such as: cell phones, clothing, sheets, vapers, cigarettes, glasses, drinks, towels, cutlery, brushes and any other item or surface that may have been in contact with the sick person's skin lesions.

It is important to note that next weekend there may be increased circulation of the virus due to the events taking place with a large influx of people from different cities and countries. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection reiterates the call to take extreme self-care measures to avoid contagion in the ways described, while emphasizing the importance of frequent hand washing and the use of face masks.

Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, nor is it exclusive to one population group, which means that condom use is not enough to prevent the spread of the disease. Sexual intercourse creates the ideal circumstances for transmission to occur. The virus can be acquired by a healthy person in two ways: by absorbing fluids in small droplets through the respiratory tract, or because the virus that is in the fluids that come into contact with the skin is able to break through healthy skin. Therefore, it can be contracted by a person of any age.

If you suspect you have the disease or are a contact of a case: 1. Go to health services because only health services can diagnose it with the use of a laboratory test. 2. Collaborate and honestly report all your contacts.

Video of Martha Ospina, director of the National Institute of Health.

COVID-19

The virus continues to circulate among us. Transmission is easier than before with the new mutations, and although mortality and ICU hospitalization have decreased markedly thanks to the vaccines, some municipalities have low vaccination coverage, which still have a significant number of vulnerable people, and in the municipalities with high coverage, there are still people who have refused to be vaccinated. People without a vaccine keep the transmission active and the risk alive for the most vulnerable. The use of face masks, hand washing, and complete vaccination schedules are still the necessary measures with which we can all contribute to bringing the epidemic to an end.