[Politics] Isolation due to monkeypox: Minsal establishes referral hospitals and does not rule out implementing health residences

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Since June 17, three confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in the country. Two in the Metropolitan Region -an index patient and another close contact- and a third in the region of La Araucanía. In addition, the Minsal reported that there is a probable case that is awaiting confirmation with the PCR technique.

What protocols has the health authority established for confirmed and suspected cases? A document dated June 10 sent to the regional ministerial health secretariats details the steps to follow for epidemiological surveillance, including how each patient should be treated, isolation times and how it will be carried out. . In addition, a resolution dated June 18 published in the Official Gazette details the facilities where patients must be referred in the Metropolitan Region. The Minsal defines a "suspected case" as a person "of any age who presents an acute rash without any other explanation and who has one or more of the following symptoms: headache, sudden onset of fever (>38.5°), myalgia, back pain, asthenia, lymphadenopathy" and for which "causes of acute rash do not explain the clinical picture", such as varicella zoster, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, bacterial skin infections, allergic reaction, primary or secondary syphilis, among others. others. Meanwhile, a probable case will be understood as one that meets the definition described above (suspected case) and also has one of the following points: contact with a confirmed case of monkeypox in the 21 days prior to the onset of symptoms or history of travel to a monkeypox-endemic country 21 days prior to symptom onset. Meanwhile, the confirmed case will be any "suspected or probable case for which the PCR and/or sequencing laboratory tests are negative for monkeypox." This morning, the Undersecretary of Public Health, Cristóbal Cuadrado, also recalled that contagion between people occurs "through close skin-to-skin contact, with people who have symptomatic lesions. As far as we know, it does not occur with asymptomatic people." Isolation of cases As indicated in the protocol, suspected or probable cases must be monitored by the regional health authority, after a treating physician gives timely notice. Said case "will be maintained with additional precautions based on the mechanism of transmission of contact and droplets (isolation) in the health establishment where it was investigated until its referral to the regionally defined reference health establishment." The text published in the Official Gazette of the RM Regional Ministerial Secretariat details that the isolation "which may be extended for 21 days and contagion from the onset of the rash, regardless of its pension system", will be referred to the following reference hospitals: Hospital of Public Assistance (Central Post). In the event that said facility is without beds, patients will be referred to the Dr. Lucio Córdova Hospital for Infectious Diseases in the commune of San Miguel. The foregoing, without prejudice to the fact that the Minsal, "according to the epidemiological context and the availability of beds in the establishments indicated above, may designate other establishments as reference hospitals." In addition, it is established that "if there is opposition to obtaining full and effective compliance with the imposed sanitary measure (isolation for 21 days), the assistance of the public force may be required directly from the nearest unit of the Chilean Police Corps." Meanwhile, Cuadrado did not rule out the use of health residences, since these "are places that must be considered within the possible devices (...) they are elements that we are considering and what interests us is to have as many possible devices so that supervised isolation occurs in the best way so that people can be safe, not infect others, and protect their confidentiality".

https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2022/06/23/1064926/protocolo-minsal-viruela-mono-aislamiento.html