Monkeypox – Morocco is not concerned for the moment
Vaccination against Monkeypox is not on the agenda of the Moroccan health authorities. The specialists contacted by “Le Matin” are almost convinced that, in the current state of things, this measure has no reason to be, especially since the Kingdom has an efficient health monitoring system. Obviously, if the situation changes, the authorities will take the necessary measures.
Faced with the rise in cases of Monkeypox and the difficulties in tracing the chains of contamination, countries have decided to resort to vaccination. What about Morocco? A source from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, who requested anonymity, told “Le Matin” that vaccination against Monkeypox is not on the agenda of the competent health authorities and that efforts are focused on anti-Covid-19 vaccination. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) triggered its highest level of alert on Saturday July 23 to try to stem the outbreak of this disease, knowing that it has hit nearly 17,000 to date. people in 74 countries. Joined by “Le Matin”, Pr Jaâfar Heikel, epidemiologist and specialist in infectious diseases, believes that the situation is, for the time being, under control in Morocco and that the WHO alert should not lead to confusion.
“WHO’s decision simply implies that countries must put in place adequate surveillance systems and prepare preventive measures such as early detection in order to deal with any risk of the disease spreading,” he explains. . And to add that vaccination is only necessary when there is a major risk to the population, “which is not the case in Morocco at least for the moment”. The specialist notes, on the other hand, that epidemiological observation remains fundamental in order to anticipate any risk of spread and act upstream. “Obviously, if the epidemiological face changes in Morocco and if we start recording cases of Monkeypox, the competent health authorities will take the necessary measures,” he underlines.
Dr Said Afif, member of the Scientific and Technical Committee for Anti-Covid-19 Vaccination, confirms, in turn, that the situation is under control thanks, mainly to the health monitoring system available to the country and which everyone qualifies as “efficient”. For him, anti-Covid-19 vaccination remains the priority today in order to allow everyone to protect themselves essentially against serious forms of the disease. He reiterates his appeal, particularly to the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses, to complete their vaccination regimen “whose usefulness is no longer to be demonstrated”.
The specialist confirms at this level that the Sars-Cov-2 virus is still circulating among us and that it should not be underestimated. In addition, the specialists contacted by “Le Matin” would like to point out that Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is certainly very contagious, but which is not very lethal in view of current scientific data. They are almost convinced that information implying that the virus is spreading among one population rather than another must be taken with a grain of salt. Scientists believe, moreover, that we do not yet have the necessary hindsight to comment on the dangerousness of the disease and the threat it may pose to the population.
