[Monkeypox: Epidemiological surveillance in the Muñiz Outpatient Monitoring Unit, Buenos Aires].

Introduction: Monkeypox (SV) is a zoonotic viral disease. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family. In 1970 it was detected for the first time in humans, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is currently considered an endemic disease in central and western Africa. It can present with fever, malaise, painful lymphadenopathy and rash, and last between 2 and 4 weeks. It is usually selflimited, although severe cases have been described, mainly in immunocompromised people, with lethality varies between 3% and 6% in endemic countries. The objectives of epidemiological surveillance in suspected cases of SV are: to describe the personal variables, time and place of the reported cases, to track and follow up their contacts, to identify outbreaks and perform clinical epidemiological follow-up.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from June 9 to September 15, 2022.

Results: 82 patients with compatible symptoms have been treated, 56 cases were positive and 26 negative. Of the 26 negative cases, 7 cases (27%) corresponded to chickenpox, 4 cases (15%) to syphilis, and 2 cases (8%) to herpes zoster.

Conclusions: The first symptoms began two to five days prior to consultation, the most frequent being fever, myalgia, asthenia, headache, and painful lymphadenopathy. Epidemiological surveillance of SV provides timely detection of cases, continuous and systematic follow-up of contacts through an integrated process between surveillance and laboratory, to generate timely, valid and reliable information, which allows guiding prevention and control measures.