The Ministry of Health has added monkeypox to the Group B infectious diseases with other dangerous, infectious diseases capable of spreading quickly and possibly causing death.

A Ministry of Health official inspects the prevention of monkeypox at Ha Noi Dermatology Hospital. VNA/VNS Photo

Decision No. 3044/QĐ-BYT, issued on November 9, is based on the ministry's Department of Preventive Medicine proposal.

Disease prevention and control activities are carried out following the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases and based on monkeypox's dangerous nature, transmissibility and mortality rate.

The situation of the monkeypox epidemic in the world is still complicated. Viet Nam has also recorded several positive cases returning from abroad.

Monkeypox was first reported in 1958 in monkeys raised for research.

Since May 2022, the epidemic has developed abnormally, spreading to many countries.

The incubation period is usually from six to thirteen days. Symptoms may vary, depending on the stage of the disease, but are similar to smallpox.

Common symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, fatigue, and a rash that looks like blisters on the face or inside of the mouth or in other parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.

The disease can clear up on its own within 2-3 weeks.

In Viet Nam, infectious diseases are classified into three groups.

Source: VNS