The first two cases of monkeypox were confirmed in Chihuahua

The local Secretariat of Health confirmed this Monday the first two cases of monkeypox in Chihuahua, in two male residents of Ciudad Juarez. The affected people are 32 and 44 years old and recently traveled to Colombia for vacation. Both are in isolation and their health is progressing favorably.

At a press conference, the Secretary of Health, Felipe Fernando Sandoval, announced that since last weekend they had received a report of the suspected cases, which were confirmed as positive this Monday morning by the Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference (INDRE).

The two people with monkeypox in Chihuahua are isolated

The agency indicated that an analysis is also being carried out with the people with whom they had contact since their arrival from the South American country and, for the time being, no other suspected case has been registered. He emphasized that, fortunately, since both patients started having symptoms, they decided to isolate themselves to avoid the disease spreading, as indicated by the health authorities.

Due to its symptoms, smallpox, also known as "monkeypox", can be confused with other diseases, and it can take up to 21 days for skin lesions to appear.

Mirna Florencia Beltrán, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, called on the population not to self-medicate and to seek medical attention at any health center in the case of symptoms such as fever, weakness, muscle pain, and, above all, not to scratch the lesions and to isolate themselves from the rest of the family.

He said that since it is a disease with symptoms, the sooner it is treated, the better. However, if the person who has it also has a disease that weakens their immune system or another illness, it could get more complicated.

According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, 147 monkeypox cases had been confirmed in Mexico last week.