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Tag: Monkeypox

  • EXPLAINER: What You Need To Know About Monkeypox The Virus Sending Panic

    EXPLAINER: What You Need To Know About Monkeypox The Virus Sending Panic

    Reuters-A handful of cases of monkeypox have now been reported or are suspected in Britain, Portugal, Spain and the United States.

    The outbreaks are raising alarm because the viral disease, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa, and only very occasionally spreads elsewhere.

    Here is what scientists know so far.

    ‘HIGHLY UNUSUAL’

    Monkeypox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is more severe – with up to 10% mortality – and the West African strain, which has a fatality rate in about 1% of cases. The UK cases have been reported as the West African strain.

    “Historically, there have been very few cases exported. It has only happened eight times in the past before this year,” said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said it was “highly unusual”.

    Portugal has logged five confirmed cases, and Spain is testing 23 potential cases. Neither country has reported cases before. read more

    The United States has also reported one case. read more

    TRANSMISSION

    The virus spreads through close contact, both in spillovers from animals and, less commonly, between humans. It was first found in monkeys in 1958, hence the name, although rodents are now seen as the probable main animal host.

    Transmission this time is puzzling experts, because a number of the cases in the United Kingdom – nine as of May 18 – have no known connection with each other. Only the first case reported on May 6 had recently traveled to Nigeria.

    As such, experts have warned of wider transmission if cases have gone unreported.

    The UK Health Security Agency’s alert also highlighted that the recent cases were predominantly among men who self-identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, and advised those groups to be aware. read more

    Scientists are now carrying out genomic sequencing to see if the viruses are linked, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week.

    WHY NOW?

    One possible scenario behind the rise in cases is increased travel as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

    “My working theory would be that there’s a lot of it about in west and central Africa, travel has resumed, and that’s why we are seeing more cases,” said Whitworth.

    Monkeypox puts virologists on the alert because it is in the smallpox family, although it causes less serious illness.

    Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination in 1980, and the shot has since been phased out. But it also protects against monkeypox, and so the winding down of vaccination campaigns has led to a jump in monkeypox cases in areas where the disease is endemic, according to Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA in California.

    She said urgent investigation of the new cases was important as “they could suggest a novel means of spread or a change in the virus, but this is all to be determined”.

    Experts urged people not to panic.

    “This isn’t going to cause a nationwide epidemic like COVID did, but it’s a serious outbreak of a serious disease – and we should take it seriously,” said Whitworth.

  • CDC Monitoring Potential Outbreak Of Another Virus;

    CDC Monitoring Potential Outbreak Of Another Virus;

    As public health officials keep track of the contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 across the U.S., the CDC is also watching for a potential outbreak of another virus — monkeypox.

    More than 200 people in 27 states are being monitored for possible exposure after they had contact with an American who contracted monkeypox in Nigeria before traveling to Texas earlier this month, according to STAT News.

    So far, none of the people who are being followed are considered high-risk, and none have contracted the virus.

    The traveler flew on an overnight flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta, Ga., on July 8 and then flew on another flight to Dallas on July 9. On July 15, the patient went to the emergency room at a Dallas hospital and was diagnosed with monkeypox, STAT reported.

    State health officials and the CDC are monitoring people who sat within 6 feet of the traveler on the overnight flight, flight attendants, passengers who used a particular bathroom on the plane, those who cleaned the bathroom after the flight, and some family members who interacted with the person in Dallas.

    “It’s believed the risk for spread of monkeypox on the plane and in the airports is low, as travelers were required to wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and monkeypox is primarily spread through respiratory droplets,” according to the CDC.

    Monkeypox stems from a virus that is like smallpox. It was first discovered in 1958 when outbreaks occurred in colonies of monkeys being held for research in Africa, according to the CDC. The disease is typically mild and causes less severe illness than smallpox but can be fatal in about 10% of cases.

    “However, [fatality] rates can be higher in people who have weakened immune systems,” the CDC wrote.

    Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a particular pox-like skin rash that develops across the body, including the palms of hands and the soles of feet.

    First detected in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, monkeypox typically occurs in remote parts of central and west Africa. It was last detected in the U.S. in 2003, according to the CDC, when 47 confirmed and probable cases were reported in six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

    Monkeypox is rarely detected in people, STAT reported. During the 2003 outbreak, which was the first time that human cases were reported outside of Africa, a shipment of animals from Ghana contained rodents and small mammals that had the virus. Those who contracted monkeypox became ill after having contact with infected prairie dogs purchased as pets, the CDC reported.

    In recent years, Nigeria has seen an uptick in monkeypox cases, STAT reported. Seven exported cases have been identified, including four in the U.K., one in Singapore, one in Israel and one in the U.S.

    The virus spreads through respiratory droplets, body fluids and bed linens or other items that have been used by an infected person, STAT reported. The time from exposure to symptoms can range from 3 to 17 days.

    The CDC has asked local and state health authorities to monitor the 200 people who may have been exposed earlier this month for 21 days, which will end on July 30.

    “Additionally, CDC has set up a call center for health departments for questions about monitoring contacts and for clinicians if monkeypox is suspected in a patient,” the CDC wrote. “The public should contact their local health department for questions.”

    WebMD Health News.