The spread of monkeypox in the world is in the focus of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan (MoHSPP), Navrouz Jaffarov, an official with a MoHSPP, told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.  

Commenting on reports by some media outlets about appearance of monkeypox in Afghanistan, Jaffarov said, “Even if the suspicion is confirmed that there are cases of monkeypox in Afghanistan, the risk of this disease entering Tajikistan is small, because our common border with this country is closed.” 

He also noted that «all cases of monkeypox in some countries of the world have not yet taken the form of an epidemic.”

“They are more local, and therefore, Tajikistanis should not panic about this,” Tajik health official said.  

He noted that relevant ministries and agencies of Tajikistan are studying all materials on this disease “so that Tajik infectious disease specialists are prepared for such a disease.”

Jaffarov further added that preventive measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and “these measures are still in effect.” 

No cases of monkeypox have been reported in Central Asia’s nations so far.  

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 550 monkeypox cases have been reported worldwide as of May 31, 2022.  Over 550 confirmed cases have reportedly been registered in 30 countries across four of WHO's six regions.   

combo photo from open sources

Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in both humans and some other animals.  Early symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pains, shivering, backache, and feeling extremely tired.  This is followed by a rash that forms blisters and crusts over; most frequently in the mouth, on the face, hands and feet, genitals and eyes.  The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is on average 12 days; though ranges from 5-to-21 days.  The duration of symptoms is typically two to four weeks.  Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with supressed immune systems.

Monkeypox may be spread from handling bushmeat, an animal bite or scratch, body fluids, contaminated objects, or close contact with an infected person.  The virus normally circulates among certain rodents.  Diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's DNA.  The disease can appear similar to chickenpox.