Cases of monkeypox are being investigated in Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia following a recent spike in infections.
Jepayona Delita | Future publishing house Getty Images
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the recent outbreak of monkeypox in non-endemic countries was “restrained”, although it continued to confuse health experts.
As of Tuesday, there are 131 confirmed cases and 106 suspected cases since the first was reported on May 7th, according to the public health authority. The cases are reported to be in 19 countries outside Africa.
The WHO said it was unclear at this time whether the jump in the cases was “the tip of the iceberg” or the peak of the show had already been reached.
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is endemic to Central and West Africa. It is spread through close contact with people, animals or materials infected with the virus, with symptoms including rash, fever, headache, muscle aches, swelling and back pain.
While most cases are mild, usually resolved within two to four weeks, health experts are confused by the recent jump to countries without a history of the disease and patients who have no connection to travel to endemic countries.
Western cases are on the rise, mainly through sex
At least 19 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Spain and Portugal, have reported so far. Belgium – currently home to four cases – became the first country to introduce compulsory isolation for patients on Friday, while the UK called for close patient contacts to sell isolation.
Most cases are spread through sex, the WHO said on Monday. Although it is not usually considered a sexually transmitted disease, health authorities note a high concentration of cases among men who have sex with other men.
A portion of skin tissue collected from a monkey skin lesion that was infected with the monkeypox virus was seen at 50X magnification on the fourth day of the rash’s development in 1968.
CDC | Reuters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned gays and bisexual men on Monday to take precautions if they have been in close contact with someone who may have the virus and to monitor for symptoms.
“A significant proportion of recent cases in the UK and Europe have been found in gay and bisexual men, so we particularly encourage these men to be vigilant about their symptoms,” added Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, on Monday. . .
A mutation in a strain of monkeypox is unlikely
WHO Director of Global Infectious Disease Preparedness Sylvie Brian said Tuesday that the virus is unlikely to have mutated. Rather, she said, its transmission may have been caused by a change in human behavior, especially as a result of easing the social constraints of Covid-19.
The West African strain of monkeypox – which has been identified in the current epidemic – has a mortality rate of about 1%.
“We encourage all of you to increase your monkeypox surveillance to see where the transmission levels are and find out where it’s going,” Brian added.
Jeremy Farrer, director of the global health charity Wellcome, told CNBC on Monday that the recent outbreak was atypical for the monkeypox virus.
“It simply came to our notice then [monkeypox] an epidemic that has spread to 15 countries in three weeks, “Fahrer told the World Economic Forum.
However, he added that this should not be a cause for concern for the general public, noting that it is not yet a “Covid-style risk”.
“It’s not the same as saying that people in public health don’t have to worry. It is not the same as saying that we should not act quickly. But is it a huge risk to society? No, I don’t think it’s from today. “
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