Monkey pox

Monkeypox is a viral illness caused by ‘The Monkeypox virus’ a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The case fatality has been around 3-6%. Monkeypox has been an emerging concern in most countries. As of August 1 there are 22,485 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 79 different countries. These mostly include countries that have not previously reported monkeypox infections.  

The majority of laboratory-confirmed cases (86%) were reported from the WHO European Region. Other regions reporting cases include the African Region ( 2%), Region of the Americas (11%), Eastern Mediterranean Region (1%), and Western Pacific Region ( <1%).  One death was reported in Nigeria in the second quarter of 2022.  In India 4 confirmed cases have been seen.

On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared monkeypox a public health emergency. After the detection of the first U.S. monkeypox case), CDC and health departments implemented enhanced monkeypox case detection and reporting. 

(Source: WHO, European CDC, US CDC, and Ministries of Health, 2022 U.S. Map and Case Count | Monkeypox | Poxvirus | CDC).

 

Symptoms:-

Symptoms are self-limiting and usually last 2-4 weeks.

• Fever, headache, muscle aches,
• Back pain, low energy,
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• This is followed or accompanied by the development of a rash which can last for two to three weeks.
• The rash can be found on the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, and genital and/or anal regions of the body.
• The number of lesions can range from one to several thousand. Lesions begin flat, then fill with liquid before they crust over, dry up and fall off, with a fresh layer of skin forming underneath.
• The rash associated with monkeypox involves vesicles or pustules that are deep-seated, firm or hard, and well-circumscribed; the lesions may umbilicate or become confluent and progress over time to scabs.
• Complications from monkeypox include secondary skin infections, pneumonia, confusion, and eye problems.

 

 

 

 

Transmission:-

• Close contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, including through face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, including sexual contact.

Environmental surfaces transmission include:-

• Surfaces of utensils, Bedding, Towel, Objects electronic.

Treatment:-

Two vaccines may be used for the prevention of Monkeypox virus infection:

• ACAM2000, licensed (or approved) by FDA for use against smallpox and made available for use against monkeypox under an Expanded Access Investigational New Drug application.
• ACAM2000 is administered as a live Vaccinia virus preparation that is inoculated into the skin by pricking the skin surface. Following a successful inoculation, a lesion will develop at the site of the vaccination.vaccinated individuals must take precautions to prevent the spread of the vaccine virus and are considered vaccinated within 28 days.
• JYNNEOS (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex), licensed (or approved) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of Monkeypox virus infection, and
• JYNNEOS^TM is administered as a live virus that is non-replicating. It is administered as two subcutaneous injections four weeks apart. There is no visible “take” and as a result, no risk for spread to other parts of the body or other people. People who receive JYNNEOS ^TM are not considered vaccinated until 2 weeks after they receive the second dose of the vaccine.
• Antivirals, such as tecovirimat (TPOXX), may be recommended for people who are more likely to get severely ill, like patients with weakened immune systems.
• TPOXX has been approved by US FDA.
• Other treatments include symptomatic management.