This Monday (1st), the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga announced that Brazil, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will receive the antiviral known as tecovirimat for the treatment of monkey pox .
In an interview with Visão CNN, the UFRJ virologist and member of the Advisory Committee for Smallpox Research at World Health Organization (WHO), Clarissa Damaso, explained that the use of the drug should be restricted to the most serious cases of the disease. That’s because most infections have been shown to be benign.
“Tecovirimat has only been recommended in cases that progress to a more severe form of the disease — a form that might be of concern or for people with any condition that could make the illness worse — because of limited supplies and the need for further clinical trials. ”, details the specialist.
“The disease has, in general, occurred in a very mild way. Most patients are recovering at home. It is not a disease that has a concern in terms of lethality”, highlights Clarissa.
“But it worries because it can worsen in children, pregnant women and people with immunosuppression. Therefore, it is interesting for us to have the medicines as if they were in stock for use in emergency cases, for when people start to have injuries that can complicate due to previous comorbidities or the disease itself”, he explains.
According to the virologist, there is no need to use specific drugs in most cases of monkeypox, which have been benign.
Source: CNN Brasil
