By Dr Ed Feil, PhD, University of Bath — The Conversation, 23 May 2022
The latest outbreak of monkeypox had, at the time of writing, reached 17 countries with 110 confirmed cases and a further 205 suspected cases. Monkeypox usually spreads by close contact and respiratory droplets; sexual transmission via semen and/or vaginal fluid has also been posited as an additional possible route. The World Health Organization says: “Studies are needed to better understand this risk.” The first patient in the current outbreak had returned to The UK from travels to Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic. However, cases are now spreading among people who have not travelled to west or central Africa, suggesting local transmission is occurring. Most cases in the current outbreak have been in young men, but the virus can spread to anyone.
Early symptoms are flu-like — fever, headaches, aching muscles and swollen lymph nodes. Once the fever breaks, a rash can develop, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body. Monkeypox is mostly a mild, self-limiting disease lasting two to three weeks. According to the WHO, the fatality rate “in recent times” has been around 3% to 6%. Monkeypox was first identified in laboratory monkeys in Denmark in 1958; the first case in humans was seen in the 1970s in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Monkeypox is related to smallpox — both are orthopoxviruses — but it is not related to chickenpox. Cases are likely to continue to rise significantly over the next two to three weeks, but this is not another pandemic in the making as monkeypox doesn’t spread anywhere near as easily as SARS-CoV-2. The only vaccine specifically approved for monkeypox, Imvanex, made by Bavarian Nordic, uses a non-replicating form of vaccinia and causes fewer side effects than traditional smallpox vaccines. There are no specific drugs to treat monkeypox, though antivirals such as cidofovir and brincidofovir have been proven effective against poxviruses in animals. This article has been republished under Creative Commons licence.