LA PAZ, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Monkeypox cases continue to rise in Bolivia, approaching 100 infections in a month and five days, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health and Sports.
The accumulated tally reached 96 confirmed cases as of Monday night, with 93 active and three recovered since Aug. 1, when the first case was reported in the South American country.
Head of the ministry's Disease Prevention and Control Unit Lilian Nataly Flores told Xinhua on Tuesday that the situation has forced authorities to intensify the containment strategy, mainly in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, which is the epicenter of the disease.
"The monkeypox containment and mitigation plan is working because we currently have the disease under control, with patients identified and treated in a timely manner, without complications or risk to their lives," she said.
The departments that have reported cases were Santa Cruz with 83, La Paz with six, Cochabamba with five, and Potosi and Chuquisaca each with one.
The official reminded the population to comply with the same health measures as COVID-19, such as the use of masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing.
In May, the Bolivian government declared a monkeypox epidemiological alert and introduced a protocol for departmental health services in the nine departments for suspected cases. ■
