(Bloomberg) – The recent outbreak of monkeypox is unusual, but still under control, according to the World Health Organization.
“This is not something we have seen in the last few years,” Sylvie Brian, director of the WHO’s Epidemic Preparedness and Prevention Department, said Tuesday. She said it could still be curtailed and that countries could break the transmission chain by raising awareness and making people recognize the symptoms early.
The disease itself begins as a very acute viral disease – fever, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. These symptoms can be followed by a skin rash, often starting on the face, before spreading elsewhere and sometimes growing into fluid-containing pustules that form scabs. The disease usually lasts two to four weeks.
The monkeypox, which has been affecting developing countries for years, has spread to Europe and the United States in recent days, leading to a total of 131 confirmed cases to date and 106 suspected cases investigated in 19 nations, according to Briand.
The virus belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus, which includes the Variola virus, which causes smallpox; the vaccinia virus used in the smallpox vaccine; and vaccinia virus. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and the symptoms are milder. Most of the cases were among men who have sex with men, and many of them have occurred in sexual networks, although anyone can be infected with the disease, regardless of sexual orientation.
The abnormal spread means that the WHO is investigating whether the virus has mutated or whether changes in human behavior and contact after the pandemic have contributed to the spread. Initial studies show the virus did not mutate, Brian said. The WHO expects more data on the subject.
Although there are a number of medical countermeasures, such as treatment and vaccines, some of the new vaccines are in limited quantities and some are not fully licensed for marketing, Brian said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told gay and bisexual men that monkeypox appears to be spreading in the community worldwide, CNBC reported, citing an official John Brooks.
“There’s a pandemic we’re still in the middle of, and another emerging zoonosis that has broken the species barrier again is now spreading to many countries,” said Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergency health program. “After all, this is a sustainable event.”
The prevalence is not limited to men. Some women become infected and the disease can be spread through vaginal fluids.
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