ANN/THE STAR – The Lao Health Ministry will work with concerned parties to deal with a possible outbreak of monkeypox cases, through surveillance and preparation of equipment including a laboratory equipped to identify the virus.
Concerns over the virus are mounting in Laos after cases of monkeypox were detected in neighbouring countries, such as Singapore and Thailand.
Cases of the virus are rare and the symptoms are usually mild and disappear without any need for treatment, Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Lao Ministry of Health Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh told a press conference.
However, the symptoms can be severe in some people, such as children, pregnant women, or those with a weakened immune system due to another health condition.
Rattanaxay said no cases of monkeypox have been reported in Laos but hospitals in the Lao capital Vientiane are being alerted to the possibility of cases and the unlikely event of an outbreak.
