Health minister reveals condition of monkeypox in Morocco

Morocco’s Health Minister Khaled Ait Taleb said Morocco accounts so far for a single Monkeypox case, and another suspected that later on turned out negative. He spoke during the oral questions session of the House of Councilors, today, Tuesday. The minister stressed that the situation is under control, noting that “the ministry has experiences in managing the Ebola and Covid-19 crises, which enabled it to develop a plan to anticipate these diseases.” Ait Taleb stated that “the units affiliated with the Ministry are located at the border crossings to easily diagnose suspected cases of monkeypox.” He pointed out that “the procedures consist in isolating the infected inside their homes, and treating them according to their symptoms.” Ait Taleb highlighted that the detection of monkeypox in Morocco is carried out through clinical and laboratory diagnosis, noting that there are four laboratories capable of carrying out PCR analysis in Rabat, Marrakech, and Casablanca. The Minister of Health and Social Protection pointed out that the ministry is not obligated to increase the number of laboratories testing for monkeypox, because the disease is not widespread and the situation is controlled in the border areas and at the level of training professionals. Morocco is currently following the UK’s protocol for dealing with positive monkeypox cases, as it is the country with the highest number of confirmed cases so far. The British system separates contact cases into three “risk levels,” depending on the type of contact they’ve had with an infected patient. If a person’s infection is confirmed, the optimal method is home quarantine for a period of three weeks while on prescribed medication. Hospitalization is exclusive to critical cases, in case the virus develops into a disease, potentially harming parts of the body and vital organs such as the brain, lungs, or eye. The Minister highlighted that although the transmission rate of the virus is low, as it can’t be transmitted through air such as COVID-19, monkeypox does not have a specific cure. Rather, the virus gradually clears from the body after a three week-infection period. However, the official maintained that vigilance is required.