16 cases identified in France

Monkey pox is progressing in France, but the number of cases remains modest. Sixteen cases had been identified on Sunday May 29, nine more in four days. The health authorities want to be reassuring, in particular because the rate of effectiveness of the vaccine against smallpox is estimated at 85% for contact cases. The Minister of Health assured that France has sufficient stocks of vaccines. The Directorate General of Health has announced that the vaccination of at-risk contacts has begun.

According to Eric Caumes, infectiologist specializing in infectious and tropical diseases, it is “very easy to control this epidemic by isolating the cases”. Transmitted by prolonged contact with skin lesions or by bodily fluids, monkeypox is mainly present in Europe in “men having sex with men”, he says. A targeted prevention campaign could therefore stem the spread “before it spills over into other risk groups”.