So far, at least six countries around the world have reported dozens of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox infection, some of which have no obvious source, which means that the virus may spread quietly under cover. In view of this, people's concern about monkeypox is also increasing day by day.
What is monkeypox? Are there any treatments or vaccines available? Will it become another pandemic? The website of the British magazine new scientist gave the answers to these questions related to monkeypox in a report on May 19.
1. What is monkeypox? What are the symptoms
Monkeypox is a disease caused by monkeypox virus, which is usually transmitted among monkeys in central and West Africa, but occasionally to humans. In 1958, scientists first found monkeypox virus in laboratory monkeys, and in 1970, the first human case of monkeypox infection was found in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ukhsa said the initial symptoms of monkeypox infection included fever, headache, muscle soreness, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fatigue. Patients sometimes develop rashes, usually first on the face and then on other parts of the body.
2. How many cases are there at present
According to a list of reports being prepared by researchers from Oxford University and Harvard Medical School, there are 33 confirmed cases of monkeypox and 42 suspected cases worldwide.
Among them, there are 9 confirmed cases in the UK, most of which are in London. Portugal has 14 confirmed cases and 6 suspected cases. Spain has 7 confirmed cases and 17 suspected cases. The United States and Sweden each have one confirmed case. Italy has one confirmed case and two suspected cases. There are 17 suspected cases in Canada.
The researchers believe that these cases may be just the tip of the iceberg. "The real situation may be wider than what we have found so far."
3. Is there any correlation between these cases
The researchers said it was unclear.
The first confirmed case in the UK went to Nigeria. The patient developed a rash on May 5 and was hospitalized on May 6. He has now fully recovered. Ukhsa said the other two cases in the UK were related to the first case, but the four recently confirmed cases were not associated with previous cases.
Susan Hopkins, ukhsa's chief medical adviser, said the monkeypox virus was spreading from person to person in countries where confirmed cases of monkeypox were known. "These latest cases and case reports from European countries confirm our initial concern that monkeypox virus may spread within our communities," she said
Ukhsa said that the most recent cases in the UK mainly occurred in gay, bisexual and men who had sex with men. "We particularly urge gay and bisexual men to pay attention to any unusual rash or lesion and contact the relevant service immediately if there is a problem," Hopkins said
4. How is monkeypox virus transmitted
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox can be spread by contacting large droplets exhaled by others, infected skin lesions and contaminated substances. Some people may interpret this as monkeypox virus transmitted through the air, but the world health organization does not use this term.
The Centers for Disease Control and prevention points out that human to human transmission is considered to be mainly carried out through large respiratory droplets, which generally spread no more than a few feet, so it requires long-term face-to-face contact.
Ukhsa said that monkeypox virus is usually not easy to spread from person to person, and the risk of infection faced by Britons is "still very low".
Monkeypox can also be transmitted through close contact between humans or through contact with clothes, towels or bedding used by infected persons. Ukhsa said it was not considered a sexually transmitted infection, but could be transmitted through skin contact.
In parts of West and Central Africa, humans may also be infected with the virus from infected wild animals. If someone is bitten by an infected animal or touches the blood, body fluids, blisters or scabs of an infected animal, he may be infected with the virus. In addition, monkeypox may also be transmitted by eating undercooked meat from infected animals.
5. How deadly is monkeypox
Monkeypox infection usually has mild symptoms, and most people recover within a few weeks without treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in 10 people infected with monkeypox in Africa could die. Who pointed out that monkeypox virus has West African evolutionary branch and Congo Basin (Central Africa) evolutionary branch. According to records, the mortality of the West African branch of the virus is about 1%, and the mortality of its Congo Basin branch may be as high as 10%. At present, only West African strains have been found in the UK, and the virus sequencing information in other places is still unknown.
In addition, the World Health Organization says children infected with monkeypox are more likely to develop severe diseases than adults. Infection during pregnancy can also lead to complications, including fetal death.
6. What are the treatments or vaccines
The antiviral drug tecovirimat has been approved in the United States and Europe for the treatment of monkeypox, smallpox and cowpox. In animal studies, tecovirimat significantly improved the survival rate of animals infected with high-dose monkeypox. In addition, jynneos vaccine is approved in the United States and Europe to prevent monkeypox and smallpox in people over the age of 18.
In addition, those who are old enough to have been vaccinated against smallpox in infancy should also receive some protection. Britain and the United States ended routine smallpox vaccination in 1971 and 1972 respectively.
7. Have there been outbreaks outside Africa before
There have been several outbreaks of monkeypox outside Africa, but usually only a few cases are involved, and the local transmission is very limited. For example, in 2021, the UK reported that three members of a family were infected with monkeypox virus, and one of them went to Nigeria. In 2018, a person from Nigeria transmitted the virus to two people living in the UK, one of whom was a medical worker.
There have been more outbreaks in Africa. For example, in 2001 and 2002, the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported 485 cases and 25 deaths, where the virus was present in monkeys. In 2017 and 2018, Nigeria reported 122 confirmed or suspected cases, of which 7 died.
8. Is the latest epidemic caused by the new monkeypox virus strain
This is still unknown. Multiple cases have been reported in several countries, suggesting that this strain is more transmissible than other strains, but accidental events - such as the virus being carried by "super communicators" can also help the virus spread more widely.
Researchers are sequencing samples of the virus, which will reveal whether there are significant differences between the strain and the previously identified West African branch strain, and whether all known cases are related.
9, will it become another pandemic
It is expected to control the monkeypox epidemic by tracking contacts, just like all previous monkeypox outbreaks. The UK is providing vaccines to contacts deemed to be at high risk of infection to help ensure that the virus does not continue to spread.
Although the researchers did not completely rule out the possibility of a pandemic, they believe that the possibility is very low. However, some researchers have previously warned that monkeypox is a growing threat. A 2018 paper pointed out: "monkeypox is likely to appear as an important human pathogen."
