Pablo Fernández
Dermatologist at the Hospital Ramón y Cajal and Master in Tropical Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, member and one of the spokespersons of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) for monkeypox
The current epidemic outbreak of monkeypox is an unprecedented situation to date, although for some time now there has been talk in tropical medicine forums that an epidemic could occur in our environment.
From a dermatological point of view, it is a pathology that is relatively easy to recognise, because the lesions are very characteristic and the disease is following a very similar pattern in most cases. But in order to be able to diagnose a dermatological pathology, it is necessary to know it beforehand. This is why it is so important for health professionals to be aware of this disease.
The fact that it is a mild disease, limited to a few population groups and initially (but no longer) not very widespread, gives us clinicians and public health specialists the opportunity to control this outbreak in a more satisfactory way. From my point of view, the fact that the WHO has finally declared the outbreak an international health emergency is positive news because it gives visibility to the problem, allows us to pool knowledge and focus efforts and resources on its control. It is now that we must act so that this virus does not get out of control.