Young couple with monkeypox

A 25-year-old man living in Dong Nai and his 22-year-old girlfriend living in Binh Duong were recorded by health officials as having monkeypox, the first cases of community transmission.

On the afternoon of September 25, the Binh Duong Department of Health announced that a 22-year-old girl, who was staying in Tan Uyen City, tested positive for monkeypox virus. The patient is being isolated and treated at the infectious disease department of Tan Uyen City Medical Center. Authorities have cordoned off and disinfected the area around the patient's house. The Binh Duong Center for Disease Control (CDC) is tracing contacts to monitor and promptly handle the outbreak, preventing it from spreading to the community.

The boyfriend of this girl, on September 24, was recorded by the CDC of Dong Nai as having monkeypox, the first monkeypox case recorded in Dong Nai and the third case in Vietnam, since the disease appeared two years ago. The first two cases were both confirmed to have contracted the virus while abroad, and when they returned to Vietnam, they were promptly quarantined and treated at the hospital, so they did not infect the community.

The third patient’s source of infection is currently unknown, according to a representative of the Dong Nai CDC. Epidemiological investigations showed that he started the disease on September 17 with symptoms of fever, chills, sweating, itching, and pustules in the genitals. He was treated at a private clinic, but his condition did not improve.

On September 22, the patient went to the Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital for examination. The fever had gone away, but he had swollen groin lymph nodes and a pus-like rash on his face, oral mucosa, palms, feet, and genitals. Suspecting that the patient had monkeypox, the Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital took samples and sent them to the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute for testing. The results were positive for monkeypox virus. He is being quarantined and treated in Ho Chi Minh City.

The patient said he was a self-employed businessman and regularly came into contact with many people, but not foreigners. On September 2, he returned home to Xuan Loc district and came into contact with four people in the house. On September 16, he came into contact with his girlfriend, who later developed a pustular rash.

Thus, the girl is the 4th case of monkeypox in Vietnam and the first case of community infection.

Dong Nai CDC is coordinating with Binh Duong CDC and Ho Chi Minh City CDC to investigate the epidemiological factors and contact history of the two patients from 21 days before the onset until now to have a direction to handle and contain the epidemic.

The monkeypox outbreak began in May 2022, appearing in countries where the virus had never circulated before, such as the US, UK, Sweden, Belgium, Thailand, India, Spain... To date, the total number of infections worldwide is more than 90,000, mainly men who have sex with men. The mortality rate from monkeypox is 0-11% and is higher in young children. On July 23, 2022, WHO declared monkeypox an international public health emergency, classified as a dangerous infectious disease.

Symptoms of suspected disease are acute blistering rash of unknown cause and one or more signs including fever above 38 degrees Celsius, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), headache, muscle pain, back pain, weakness. Incubation period is 5-21 days.

Currently, Vietnam has no vaccine or specific medicine for monkeypox, only smallpox vaccine.

Phuoc Tuan

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