Short Comunication: Management of radiological clinics during the time of Monkeypox
Temas em Educ. e Saúde, Araraquara, v. 19, n. 00, e023003, 2023. e-ISSN: 2526-3471
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26673/tes.v19i00.17711 4
The clinical manifestations of monkeypox resemble those of smallpox, including
nonspecific clinical features. Symptoms such as fever, chills, myalgia, headache, lethargy, and
lymphadenopathy followed by vesicopustular eruption have already been identified during the
2022 outbreak, with an incubation period ranging from 5 to 21 days, although the incubation
period for this current outbreak has not been established, its often-long incubation period
suggests that the initial exposure events may have occurred in early April 2022. The rash can
affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital and anal region. It can also
be found in the mouth, throat, anus or vagina, or eyes. Sores on the skin start flat, then fill with
fluid before forming a crust, drying out, and falling off, with a new layer of skin forming
underneath.
The differential diagnosis of monkeypox includes a variety of infections, such as
Rickettsia akari pox, smallpox, measles, chickenpox and syphilis, and others, depending on
local epidemiology. A definitive diagnosis of monkeypox can only be established by laboratory
testing. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the optimal
samples for diagnosis include a direct sampling of lesions: swabs of exudate from vesicular
lesions or crusts stored in dry, sterile, non-viral transport medium and cold test tube.
Although there is no specific treatment or vaccine for smallpox, cross-immunity with
smallpox vaccination may offer some protection in human populations. (RIMOIN et al., 2010).
Complications of monkeypox include secondary skin infections, pneumonia, confusion, and
eye problems. However, the lethality rate of smallpox ranges from 1 to 10% (BERTHET et al.,
2021).
The dental and radiology clinics have been readapting since the return with post-covid
care. Therefore, the authors elaborated on the following steps to avoid the spread of monkeypox
in radiology clinics based on the biosafety recommendations against COVID-19 (CARMELO
et al., 2020).
-Daily check of the self-reported health status of dental professionals in the clinic,
focusing on fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, prostration, swollen lymph nodes, and
rash.
- Initial screening by telephone or other means of communication to ensure that the
patient has not experienced any symptoms of fever, chills, myalgia, headache, lethargy, and
lymphadenopathy followed by a vesicopustular eruption in the past few days; that the patient
has not made any international travel or come into contact with people who have made