© Reuters. FILE IMAGE: A portion of skin tissue, obtained from a skin wound of a monkey, infected with monkeypox virus, is seen at 50X magnification on the fourth day of the rash in five years. 1968. CDC / Handout via REUTERS
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By Michael Erman
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Global health officials have sounded the alarm about a growing number of cases of monkeypox in Europe and elsewhere, a viral infection more common in the West and Central Africa.
As of Friday, about 80 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed, and an additional 50 are under investigation in 11 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Here’s what is known about the current outbreak and relative risk of monkeypox:
HOW DANGEROUS?
A US public health official told reporters at a briefing Friday that the risk to the public is low at this time.
Monkeypox is a virus that can cause symptoms including fever, aches and pains, and presents with a distinctive, rough rash.
It is related to smallpox, but is usually milder, especially the West African strain that was identified in a US case, which has a mortality rate of about 1%. Most people will make a full recovery within two to four weeks, the official said.
This virus is not as contagious as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that fueled the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts believe that the current outbreak of monkeypox is spread through close, intimate skin-to-skin contact with someone with an active rash. That would make its spread easier to contain once infections are identified, experts say.
“COVID is spread by the respiratory route and is highly infectious. This does not appear to be the case with monkeypox,” said Dr. Martin Hirsch of Massachusetts General Hospital.
Many – but not all – of those diagnosed in the current monkeypox outbreak are men who have had sex with men, including cases in Spain that have been linked to a single clinic. Sauna in the Madrid region.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL INTERESTED?
According to WHO, the recent outbreaks reported are atypical, as they are occurring in countries where the virus does not circulate frequently. Scientists are trying to understand the source of the current cases and whether anything about the virus has changed.
Most of the cases reported to date have been detected in the UK, Spain and Portugal. There have also been cases in Canada and Australia, and a single case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Boston, with public health officials saying more cases are likely to emerge in the United States. .
WHO officials have expressed concern that more infections could arise as people gather for festivals, parties and holidays in the upcoming summer months in Europe and elsewhere.
HOW CAN HUMANS PROTECT AGAINST INFECTIONS?
The UK has started immunizing healthcare workers who may be at risk when caring for patients with smallpox vaccine, which can also protect against smallpox in monkeys. The US government says it has enough smallpox vaccine stored in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to immunize the entire US population.
There are antiviral drugs for smallpox that can also be used to treat smallpox in certain cases, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services said.
More broadly, health officials say people should avoid close personal contact with someone who has the rash or who is unwell. People who suspect they have monkeypox should isolate and seek medical attention.
WHAT OBJECTS AFTER LICENSE IN THE CASE?
“The virus is nothing new and to be expected,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Foundation for Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.
Rasmussen said a number of factors including increased global tourism as well as climate change have accelerated the emergence and spread of the virus. The world is also more vigilant about new outbreaks of any kind after the COVID pandemic, she said.
