GVN Monkeypox Information
3504+
Confirmed and Suspected Cases
Monkeypox
- Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by a Poxvirus known as monkeypox virus.
- Monkeypox disease results in a smallpox-like disease in humans although it is less severe than smallpox. In general, symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle pains and feeling tired.
- Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.
- A rash usually appears 1–3 days after the onset of fever and lymphadenopathy, with lesions appearing simultaneously, and evolving at a similar rate. Their distribution is mainly peripheral but can cover the whole body during a severe illness.
- Human-to-human transmission is relatively inefficient, and this can result from close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or recently contaminated objects.
- In general, outbreaks occur occasionally in sub-Saharan Africa after someone comes in contact with an infected wild animal, and infected travelers sometimes carry the disease to other countries.
Monkeypox virus
- The virus is closely related to smallpox and vaccinia viruses. Smallpox vaccination was approximately 85% protective against monkeypox
- Two distinct genetic clades of the monkeypox virus: the West African clade and the Central African (Congo Basin) clade.
- The West African clade demonstrates a case fatality rate (CFR) <1%, and no human-to-human transmission was documented previously.
- The Central African clade shows a CFR up to 11% and causes more severe disease and human-to-human transmission.
Available Vaccines
- ACAM2000: similar to the vaccine used during the smallpox eradication campaign.
- Jynneos: a nonreplicating form of vaccinia and explicitly approval for monkeypox.
Current Outbreaks of Monkeypox
- Monkeypox outbreaks have been reported in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Israel, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, and the Netherlands outside Africa.
- There are 237 confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox.
- Current global outbreaks are caused by the West African clade. It is not clear if they represent mutant strains with increased transmissibility or pathogenicity.
- Most of the cases have lesions exclusively perigenital, perianal, and around the mouth.
- Almost all of the cases include men aged 20–50, many of whom are gay, bisexual and have sex with men.
- It is unclear whether sexual transmission is a contributing factor to current outbreak. One of the hypotheses is its transmission after close contact with lesions.
News
- WHO considers declaring monkeypox a global health emergency
AP, June 23, 2022 - NYC to Offer Monkeypox Vaccine as Outbreak Expands
NBC New York, June 23, 2022 - Monkeypox cases confirmed in South Korea, Singapore
CNN, June 22, 2022 - US boosts monkeypox testing, 142 cases confirmed
AP, June 22, 2022 - Monkeypox in Africa: the science the world ignored
Nature, June 23, 2022 - Monkeypox vaccines rolled out more widely in UK as cases near 800
The Guardian, June 21, 2022 - Singapore confirms case of monkeypox, first in Southeast Asia
Reuters, June 21, 2022 - Lebanon latest in Mideast to detect 1st case of monkeypox
ABC News, June 20, 2022 - Why the monkeypox outbreak is mostly affecting men who have sex with men
Science, June 20, 2022
References
- Nature. Monkeypox goes global: why scientists are on alert. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01421-8
- Shchelkunov SN, Marennikova SS, Moyer RW. Orthopovxiruses Pathogenic for Humans. Chapter: Classification of Poxviruses and Brief Characterization of the Genus. New York, NY: Springer (2005)
- Ladnyi ID, Jezek Z, Fenner F, Henderson DA, Arita I. Smallpox and its Eradication Chapter: Human Monkeypox and Other Poxvirus Infections of Man. Geneva: World Health Organization (1988).
- Fine PE, Jezek Z, Grab B, Dixon H. The transmission potential of monkeypox virus in human populations. Int J Epidemiol. 1988; 17(3):643–650.
- Bunge EM, Hoet B, Chen L, Lienert F, Weidenthaler H, Baer LR, Steffen R. The changing epidemiology of human monkeypox-A potential threat? A systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Feb 11;16(2):e0010141. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010141. PMID: 35148313; PMCID: PMC8870502.
- Science. Monkeypox outbreak questions intensify as cases soar. https://www.science.org/content/article/monkeypox-outbreak-questions-intensify-cases-soar
- Sklenovská N, Van Ranst M. Emergence of Monkeypox as the Most Important Orthopoxvirus Infection in Humans. Front Public Health. 2018 Sep 4;6:241.
- Nature. Monkeypox goes global: why scientists are on alert. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01421-8