“Public hospitals will provide care for all patients infected with the virus,” assures the French Hospital Federation

“The risk is real” of having cases of Mpox in France, warns Arnaud Robinet on France Inter on Tuesday, while the first cases have been recorded in Europe, particularly in Sweden.

“Public hospitals will provide care for all patients affected by Mpox”assured Arnaud Robinet, president of the French Hospital Federation, guest on France Inter on Tuesday August 20.

“The risk is real” to have cases of Mpox in France, warns Arnaud Robinet, while the first cases have been recorded in Europe, notably in Sweden. “All actors must be vigilant,” calls the president of the French Hospital Federation, assuring that “Public hospitals, as during the Covid-19 epidemic, are at the forefront of this fight, being most often the reference players in their territory.” The one who is also mayor (Horizons) of Reims promises: “Despite a complicated summer context as every year, public hospitals will inform and ensure the care of all patients affected by Mpox.”

The World Health Organization last Wednesday triggered its highest level of international health alert in the face of the resurgence of Mpox cases in Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is the country most affected by the virus with at least 570 deaths, hopes to receive the first doses of vaccines next week.

In France, regarding Mpox, “152,500 vaccinations have been carried out” since 2022, Gabriel Attal had calculated on Friday, placing the French health system in “state of maximum alertness”. The head of government recalled that since 2022, “The circulation of the virus has been contained: 4,975 cases recorded in 2022, 52 in 2023 and 107 since January 1, 2024.”

“The Mpox virus is an infectious disease caused by an orthopoxvirus which is characterized in particular by a skin rash which may be isolated or preceded or accompanied by fever or swollen lymph nodes”, explains the Ministry of Health in an internet article updated on August 13, 2024. “The Mpox virus can be transmitted by direct contact with skin lesions or mucous membranes of a sick person, as well as by droplets (saliva, sneezing, spittle, etc.) and by indirect contact with the sick person’s environment (bedding, clothing, dishes, bath linen, etc.), continues the Ministry of Health. The disease usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks. To date, the reported cases are mostly mild, no deaths have been reported in France.”