Monkeypox cases have been detected in more than 40 countries and it is a cause of worry for governments and health bodies around the world.
Monkeypox is a virus with the potential to cause significant harm including acute painful illness that may require hospitalisation, and may result in death, skin scarring, blindness, and other long-term disability.
Monkeypox has sickened people for decades in central and west Africa, where one version of the disease kills up to 10% of people. In the epidemic beyond Africa so far, no deaths have been reported.
Globally, more than 30 countries have reported 1,880 infections in countries that don’t typically report monkeypox, with 85% of cases in Europe. No deaths have been reported.
Vaccines for smallpox, a related disease, are thought to be about 85% effective against monkeypox. WHO’s Europe director, Dr. Hans Kluge, said Wednesday he was concerned by the scramble by some rich countries to buy more vaccines without talk of buying supplies for Africa.
Monkeypox spread seems to more common among men who had sex with other men. But anyone can be infected with monkeypox if they have close physical contact with someone else who is infected.
The WHO aims to consult experts in orthopoxviruses on more appropriate names for the monkeypox virus. Earlier during coronavirus pandemic, people around the world referred to the Covid virus as China or Wuhan virus, and again the emergence of a Covid strain in South Africa led to travel bans, prompting the WHO to quickly rename SARS-CoV-2.
Nearly all (98 per cent) of the cases reported having sex with other men during the incubation period, with about half (44 per cent) reporting more than 10 sexual partners in the previous three months and group sex.
WHO noted that although monkeypox is not as transmissible or dangerous as Covid, there needs to be clearer guidance as to how a person infected by monkeypox should be isolated, more explicit advice on how to protect people who are at risk, and improved testing and contact tracing.
The CDC, on its website, also urges monkeypox patients, "especially those who have respiratory symptoms", to wear a surgical mask.
Lab sequencing reveals that genetic mutations of the virus are "limited" and that "none of them are smoking guns.
The 5-year-old has no other health issues and neither she nor any of her close contacts travelled abroad in the past 1 month.
The Monkeypox virus may have been transmitted for months or years undetected though investigations are ongoing and there are clear no answers yet, said WHO.
The guidelines explain the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures, IPC at home, patient isolation and ambulance transfer strategies, additional precautions that need to be taken care of and the duration of isolation procedures.
In a public session on Monday, WHO’s Dr Rosamund Lewis said it was critical to emphasize that the vast majority of cases being seen in dozens of countries globally are in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, so that scientists can further study the issue and for populations at risk to take precautions.
Although the natural reservoir of monkeypox is unknown, experts believe it comes from rodents in west and central Africa, where the disease is endemic.
Monkeypox cases have been reported in 20 countries across the world and have caused concern among health authorities. We analyse the status of vaccines and drugs available for its treatment.
Argentina’s health ministry first confirmed a man from the province of Buenos Aires who had traveled to Spain has monkeypox. Later in the day, the ministry said in a statement that a suspected case involving a resident of Spain who had arrived in Argentina earlier in the week was also confirmed positive.
During a public briefing on Friday, the U.N. health agency said there are still many unanswered questions about what triggered the unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox outside of Africa, but there is no evidence that any genetic changes in the virus are responsible.
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