Monkeypox virus

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to a subset of the Poxviridae family of viruses called Orthopoxvirus. This subset includes the ...

One vaccine known as Imvamune or Imvanex is licensed in the U.S. to prevent monkeypox and smallpox. Vaccination after exposure to the virus may also help decrease chances of severe illness. While monkeypox is rare and usually non-fatal, one version of the disease kills around 10% of infected people. Typically, the virus enters the body through broken skin, inhalation or the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth. Health officials are worried the virus may currently be spreading undetected through community transmission, possibly through a new mechanism or route. Treatment for monkeypox is primarily focused on relieving symptoms. However, the virus did not jump from monkeys to humans, nor are monkeys major carriers of the disease. The monkeypox virus has only been isolated twice from an animal in nature. Monkeypox produces smallpox-like skin lesions, but symptoms are usually milder than those of smallpox. I’m a researcher who has worked in public health and medical laboratories for over three decades, especially in the realm of diseases with animal origins. Because of this, monkeypox has been appearing increasingly in unvaccinated people. The virus can be transmitted through contact with an infected person or animal or contaminated surfaces.

Cases of the rare monkeypox virus are popping up in Europe and the United States, suggesting the smallpox-related virus is spreading locally rather than ...

Cases have also been reported in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Australia. Many of the cases are in men ages 30 to 55 who have had sex with men, according to The Washington Post. This strategy is what ultimately led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980. That close contact can occur via either skin lesions, respiratory droplets, bodily fluids or contaminated materials such as bedding, according to the WHO. Monkeypox is much less contagious than SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, scientists are currently investigating the genome of some of these newer cases of monkeypox, to see if there are any mutations that may increase transmission, Nature News reported. Like many viruses, monkeypox begins with a fever, chills, fatigue, muscle aches and headache, but it also causes swollen lymph nodes, according to the CDC. By one to three days after a fever sets in, people may develop a rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body. Individuals younger than about 40 to 50 years of age may also be more vulnerable to monkeypox because smallpox vaccinations — which help protect a person from contracting monkeypox — stopped after that disease was eradicated, at different times in different countries. After about 100 cases were confirmed across Europe, the World Health Organization also announced Friday (May 20) it would hold an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreaks, Reuters reported.

Scientists are trying to understand why the virus, a less lethal relative of smallpox, has cropped up in so many populations around the world.

Health-care workers would probably instead use a method called ‘ring vaccination’ to contain the spread of monkeypox: this would vaccinate the close contacts of people who have been infected with monkeypox to cut off any routes of transmission. The United States also reported an outbreak in 2003, when a shipment of rodents from Ghana spread the virus to pet prairie dogs in Illinois and infected more than 70 people. Scientists will have a better idea of the origin of the outbreaks and the risk factors for infection once an epidemiological investigation is complete, which can take weeks and involves rigorous contact tracing. But cases outside Africa have been limited to a handful that are associated with travel to Africa or with the importation of infected animals. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, which can spread asymptomatically, monkeypox does not usually go unnoticed when it infects a person, in part because of the skin lesions it causes. More than 120 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox, a rare viral disease seldom detected outside of Africa, have been reported in at least 11 non-African countries in the past week.

Sequencing of a skin lesion sample from an infected male patient in Portugal -- where at least 20 confirmed cases have been reported -- suggests the latest ...

"We will learn a lot more in the next couple of weeks," he added. "This is not to be confused with COVID and the way COVID spreads." There's a good vaccine, there's good drugs against viruses in this family." CDC has suggested that many of the recent monkeypox cases have spread via sexual contact, including among men who have sex with men. The West African strain, confirmed in the U.K., has a fatality rate of around 1%. Sequencing of a skin lesion sample from an infected male patient in Portugal -- where at least 20 confirmed cases have been reported -- suggests the latest monkeypox virus belongs to the West African clade.

The outbreak is now said to be the “largest and most widespread ever seen in Europe”, where infections have surpassed 100. Cases have now been confirmed in ...

In an email seen by The Independent, UK Health Security Agency head of laboratory business and operations, Louise Forster, said: “We are looking for regional ID, microbiology or virology consultants to join the Monkey Pox clinical cell. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “The Public Health Department will carry out an even more detailed analysis... US officials are rushing to buy 13 million doses of Monkeypox vaccines after the first case of the rare infection was confirmed on US soil and a new possible case has been detected in New York. The move comes as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene confirmed it is investigating a possible Monkeypox case in the Big Apple. If that happens or if you’re concerned, you should contact a health professional.” Health officials have issued an “urgent” call to virologists to help the “rapidly scaling-up” response to the monkeypox outbreak, The Independent has learned, as 11 new cases are confirmed in Britain. More than 100 cases of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, have been reported in Europe this week, with German officials describing the outbreak as the largest ever in the region. “It’s still quite small numbers. Eleven more cases of monkeypox have been found in the UK, health chiefs say, bringing the total to 20. Additional cases of monkeypox are likely to be detected in the United States but the risk to the general public is low at this time, a senior US administration official said on Friday. Health authorities in Spain reported on Friday 24 new confirmed cases of monkeypox, mainly in the Madrid region where the regional government closed a sauna linked to the majority of infections.

The Israeli Health Ministry calls on any person entering Israel who experiences fever and a blistering rash to see a doctor. Cases of the smallpox-related ...

Health officials have asked doctors and nurses to be on alert for potential cases, but said the risk to the general population is low. Monkeypox typically causes fever, chills, a rash and lesions on the face or genitals. He was admitted into quarantine once suspicion of the disease arose, and is currently in mild condition.

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to a subset of the Poxviridae family of viruses called Orthopoxvirus. This subset includes the ...

One vaccine known as Imvamune or Imvanex is licensed in the U.S. to prevent monkeypox and smallpox. Vaccination after exposure to the virus may also help decrease chances of severe illness. While monkeypox is rare and usually non-fatal, one version of the disease kills around 10% of infected people. Typically, the virus enters the body through broken skin, inhalation or the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth. Health officials are worried the virus may currently be spreading undetected through community transmission, possibly through a new mechanism or route. Treatment for monkeypox is primarily focused on relieving symptoms. However, the virus did not jump from monkeys to humans, nor are monkeys major carriers of the disease. The monkeypox virus has only been isolated twice from an animal in nature. Monkeypox produces smallpox-like skin lesions, but symptoms are usually milder than those of smallpox. I’m a researcher who has worked in public health and medical laboratories for over three decades, especially in the realm of diseases with animal origins. Because of this, monkeypox has been appearing increasingly in unvaccinated people. The virus can be transmitted through contact with an infected person or animal or contaminated surfaces.

A New York City patient tested positive for a family of viruses that monkeypox belongs to, health officials said Friday, but it was still unclear if the ...

“Monkeypox is rare but can spread through close contact with an infected person or animal. Local health officials are carrying out contact tracing in the meantime, they said. “However, it is very unlikely that this epidemic will last long.

US CDC has expressed concern over the surge in transmission. The monkeypox virus, which causes smallpox-like infection, is spreading around the world. It can be ...

> US: 1 person tested positive for monkeypox on May 18 after returning to the US from Canada; tracking 6 more possible monkeypox cases. Dutch health authorities are bracing for several more cases to be reported. It's not clear yet as to how people in those clusters in four continents were exposed to monkeypox. In that outbreak, 71 people in 6 US states contracted monkeypox. More cases are likely to be reported as surveillance expands. The monkeypox virus, which causes smallpox-like infection, is spreading around the world. Suspected cases, seen in initial tests, are undergoing confirmatory tests. The virus belongs to the same family as the smallpox (Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae). This genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus. In Africa, —the Congro strain is more severe "with up to 10% mortality” (even up to 15%), Death is more likely among kids. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is working with the affected countries and others to expand disease surveillance to find and support people who may be affected, and to provide guidance on how to manage the disease. Yes it is described as "under-recognised" and "underreported emerging disease", according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) There are 111 people who had been infected or suspected to be infected with monkeypox virus (MPXV), according to latest reports by health authorities and www.global.health/.

More than 70 confirmed monkeypox cases have been identified in Europe as of Friday, with more suspected, according to researchers tracking the virus.

Canadian public health officials said laboratories have not yet completed genetic sequencing of the samples and that one question is the role of asymptomatic transmission. Van Ranst wrote on Twitter that the second patient was a man who had been diagnosed in Flemish Brabant. She said that the suspected cases are in men between the ages of 30 and 55 who have had sex with other men. “Does that mean that we now have to fear a major outbreak here? Although the man had not recently traveled to a country where monkeypox is already spreading, health authorities have launched a full investigation into the case, according to the French Health Ministry. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said that WHO was convening meetings “on a daily basis” with experts from affected countries and others in the global health community.

As a viral disease native to Africa, monkeypox is usually transmitted by animal-to-human contact, producing skin lesions, fever, and body aches in people the ...

Tecovirimat (TPOXX), as both oral and IV medication is approved in the U.S. for treating smallpox and oral form in Europe to treat cowpox, monkeypox, and smallpox. “Being aware of the rash of monkeypox which presents as vesicles is very important. “The U.K. notified the U.S. of 8 people in the U.S. who might have been seated near the U.K. traveler when they flew from Nigeria to London [on May 3-4, 2022]. Of these, one is no longer in the U.S., and one was not a contact. Cases in the U.S. are rare and associated with international travel from places where the disease is more common. The FDA also approved brincidofovir (Tembexa) in 2021 to treat smallpox. In terms of therapeutics and diagnostics also, we still have important gaps,” he said. Officials hope to help communities understand how the virus spreads so they can address it at its sources. The WHO officials have been tracking monkeypox’s path through Europe and North America for several weeks. The illness typically resolves within two to four weeks. As of May 19, Canada confirmed two monkeypox cases and said it was investigating 17 suspected cases. The remaining six are being monitored by their respective state health departments. Most of the recent cases of monkeypox in the U.K. and Canada have been reported among attendees of sexual health services at health clinics in men who have sex with men.

WHO and partners are working to better understand the extent and cause of an outbreak of monkeypox. The virus is endemic in some animal populations in a ...

We continue to convene meetings of experts and technical advisory groups (such as the meeting today of the Strategic & Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential [STAG-IH]) to share information on the disease and response strategies. WHO and partners are working to better understand the extent and cause of an outbreak of monkeypox. People who closely interact with someone who is infectious are at greater risk for infection: this includes health workers, household members and sexual partners.