Monkeypox Outbreak

[nivek]

Monkeypox fears prompt STI clinics to bring social distancing BACK 'as patients with virus's unusual rash mistake it for syphilis' - but experts insist we won't see Covid-style levels of transmission



At least one practice in West London had started implementing tougher infection control measures on Monday, as the total number of British cases rose to seven (shown, left). Patients were told to keep a one-metre distance in the waiting room and they were asked if they had any unusual bumps or rashes at the start of each appointment. Monkeypox can be mistaken for syphilis or other common rash illnesses like chickenpox, making it difficult to diagnose early (shown right, a patient with monkeypox rash).

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[nivek]

 

[nivek]

Monkeypox hits Europe: Five men in Portugal test positive as Spain probes eight suspected cases in men - as experts warn there could be 'tens' of cases in Britain

Monkeypox has now been spotted in Portugal and Spain, in what could be the first global outbreak of the rare disease. Spain is monitoring eight men who it believes are infected, with tests being carried out to confirm they have the virus.

All of the men are gay or bisexual, according to local media, and most were detected at STI clinics in Madrid. Five men in Portugal have also tested positive and at least 15 more cases are being investigated, health officials there said today.

These cases are all male and mostly 'young' — but it is not yet clear how they caught the virus. Until now, monkeypox cases were confined to travellers and their relatives returning from western and central Africa, where the virus is endemic. But experts now fear it is spreading more widely for the first time, after seven Britons were diagnosed in the past fortnight.

Six of them appear to have been infected in the UK and the majority are not linked, which suggests more cases are going undetected. Health chiefs are scrambling to find the source of the cases. Four of the British patients are gay or bisexual men, and officials say the pattern of transmission is 'highly suggestive of spread in sexual networks'.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline he suspects UK case numbers are already 'in the tens'. But he insisted the disease will not spread like Covid, adding: 'I would be surprised if we ever got to more than 100 cases [in Britain]'.

(More on the link)

 

[nivek]

US monkeypox fears as six Americans are 'monitored' after sharing flight with UK's 'patient zero'

Health officials are keeping tabs on six Americans for potential monkeypox infection after they shared a flight with a British patient who tested positive for the virus.

The individuals sat within a three-row radius of the Brit on a nearly seven-hour flight from Nigeria to the UK on May 4. He later became the country's first confirmed case.

Dr Jennifer McQuiston, a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told STAT News the U.S. patients would be monitored for 21 days.

A total of 12 cases have been confirmed in Europe so far in the global outbreak, with 24 people being probed for the virus across the UK, Portugal and Spain.

Infections are more common in central and west Africa, where they generally result from direct contact with infected animals.

But the virus can also be spread via direct contact with infectious lesions in the skin, or from the coughs and sneezes of someone with a monkeypox rash.

Up to one in 10 cases are fatal, but the strain spreading globally is milder and thought to have a fatality rate of about one in 100 — similar to Covid's at the start of the pandemic

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[nivek]

 

[nivek]

UK detects another TWO monkeypox cases: Health chiefs scrambling to find source of outbreak reveal new patients have NO links to others - as they start vaccinating close contacts of all nine infected Brits to curb outbreak of rare tropical disease

Health bosses confirmed the latest infected Britons, in London and the South East, have no links to other cases or travel to countries where the virus is endemic. It comes as Britons who have been in close contact with monkeypox cases are being given an 'off-label' vaccine, MailOnline can reveal. They are being offered a jab that in 2013 was approved to prevent smallpox, which is part of the same family of viruses and is genetically very similar. There are no specific drugs or vaccines for monkeypox, leaving health chiefs will limited options in preventing or treating it. Health sources said close contacts of monkeypox cases were being offered the Imvanex vaccine 'based on their risk factor'. They added it has been used in this way, known as 'ring vaccination', since 2018, when a small number of cases were detected in the UK with travel links to Africa. The strategy is being deployed again now that the virus appears to be spreading in the community for the first time. Studies have shown Imvanex - known as Jynneos in the US - is around 85 per cent effective at preventing a monkeypox infection.

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[nivek]

Seems to be spreading fast in Spain, now up to about 23 suspected cases...

Portugal identifies five monkeypox infections, Spain has 23 suspected cases

Spain issued an alert earlier in the morning saying it had eight suspected cases under testing. The figure rose to 23 cases by late afternoon, Madrid region health authorities said in a statement. All cases remain unconfirmed.

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[AD1184]

UK detects another TWO monkeypox cases: Health chiefs scrambling to find source of outbreak reveal new patients have NO links to others - as they start vaccinating close contacts of all nine infected Brits to curb outbreak of rare tropical disease

Health bosses confirmed the latest infected Britons, in London and the South East, have no links to other cases or travel to countries where the virus is endemic. It comes as Britons who have been in close contact with monkeypox cases are being given an 'off-label' vaccine, MailOnline can reveal. They are being offered a jab that in 2013 was approved to prevent smallpox, which is part of the same family of viruses and is genetically very similar. There are no specific drugs or vaccines for monkeypox, leaving health chiefs will limited options in preventing or treating it. Health sources said close contacts of monkeypox cases were being offered the Imvanex vaccine 'based on their risk factor'. They added it has been used in this way, known as 'ring vaccination', since 2018, when a small number of cases were detected in the UK with travel links to Africa. The strategy is being deployed again now that the virus appears to be spreading in the community for the first time. Studies have shown Imvanex - known as Jynneos in the US - is around 85 per cent effective at preventing a monkeypox infection.

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It seems to be spreading chiefly among men who have sex with other men. I have seen it buried in the details of several articles, but for example, from the quoted article above:

Dr Hopkins said: 'These latest cases, together with reports of cases in countries across Europe, confirms our initial concerns that there could be spread of monkeypox within our communities.

'UKHSA has quickly identified cases so far and we continue to rapidly investigate the source of these infections and raise awareness among healthcare professionals.

'We are particularly urging men who are gay and bisexual to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service without delay if they have concerns. Please contact clinics ahead of your visit.'​

It is not clear why it should be spreading among this group more than others.

 

[nivek]

Massachusetts confirms first human case of monkeypox: CDC warns six Americans are being 'monitored' after sharing flight with UK's 'patient zero'

A Massachusetts man was confirmed to be infected with monkeypox, the first U.S. case as part of a recent outbreak. The virus has also been detected in the UK, Portugal and Spain with at least six suspected cases in the U.S. The unnamed adult male had recently traveled to Canada, and it is not revealed whether he was among the six suspected patients. Nearly two dozen cases of monkeypox have been detected between the U.S. and Europe.

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[nivek]

It is not clear why it should be spreading among this group more than others.

It's possible people are not widely reporting it yet and trying to clear it up themselves before going to a clinic or hospital...

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[nivek]

UK is stockpiling 'thousands' of monkeypox vaccines and drugs as experts fear dozens of infections are slipping under radar



Nine Britons have been diagnosed with the contagious disease so far (shown right) and the majority of cases are not linked, suggesting it is spreading more widely. Britain's drug watchdog told MailOnline it was monitoring the outbreak and 'working with companies to speedily bring forward suitable treatments for monkeypox'. Health chiefs also revealed to MailOnline they have bought thousands of vaccine doses which are already being deployed to close contacts of infected Britons. Antiviral drugs and jabs (including Imvanex, shown left) designed to target smallpox have cross-over protection against monkeypox, with the two viruses genetically very similar.

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[nivek]

 

[AD1184]

There is a Wikipedia page on the current outbreak here:

2022 monkeypox outbreak - Wikipedia

It begins "An ongoing outbreak of monkeypox that started in the United Kingdom began on 29 April 2022 with the presentation of monkeypox symptoms in a British resident who had travelled to Nigeria, where the disease is endemic." How can it have started in the United Kingdom if it has already spread so far around the world? And how can it have started in the United Kingdom if the index case acquired the infection in Nigeria?

 

[nivek]

From the Wiki link you provided @AD1184

Italy confirmed its first case in a traveller who arrived from the Canary Islands......two more suspected

The Reuters report that quote is sourced from does say the traveller recently came from the Canary Islands...Now there are also 13 suspected cases in Canada, so it appears this virus is spreading much faster than is currently understood or people are...There seems to be multiple contact and spread points globally...

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[AD1184]

I would say that the virus was first detected in the UK, because the UK has superior viral genomic surveillance infrastructure to most other countries. The idea that the outbreak originated here is clearly a nonsense. It seems a more likely and better description that a new variant has emerged in West Africa and it is spreading rapidly through global air travel.

 

[nivek]

a new variant has emerged in West Africa and it is spreading rapidly through global air travel.

Good point, this is the most likely scenario I agree, the common element are the airline flights...That must be how it's initially spreading across the world so fast...

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[nivek]

New York City investigating possible monkeypox case

Health officials in New York City are investigating a possible case of monkeypox, the city's New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Thursday.

The patient is being cared for at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, according to health officials. The department said preliminary tests will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) if they come out positive.

The city's health department did not say whether the unidentified patient had traveled anywhere outside the United States. The news came a day after Massachusetts health officials confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the U.S. this year. The individual had recently traveled to Canada and officials were conducting contact tracing.

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[nivek]

Monkeypox patients could be infectious for up to FOUR WEEKS after symptoms appear, experts say, as eleven countries and Massachusetts report cases

Monkeypox patients could pass on the disease for up to four weeks after symptoms appear, experts tell DailyMail.com as the virus spreads to eleven nations. Dr Amesh Adalja, an emerging infectious diseases experts at John Hopkins University, made the warning in an interview today.

People who catch the virus initially suffer a fever before rashes and skin lesions appear on the face and body. The virus can then be passed on through touching the affected areas or via droplets expelled in coughs and sneezes. The month-long infectious period raises the likelihood that the virus could be passed on by infected patients to others.

America is bracing for more monkeypox cases to be detected in the coming days, but experts are not expecting cases on a par with the Covid pandemic. Health chiefs confirmed their first case this year in a man from Massachusetts on Wednesday, while another patient has been hospitalized with a suspected case in New York City — and six people are being monitored after sitting within three rows of an infected individual on a flight.

Most cases being detected are not linked to travel in west Africa — where the virus is endemic — suggesting it is spreading in western nations.

Canada yesterday joined the growing list of countries detecting their first ever cases, saying two individuals in Quebec were infected. It is probing another 17. Many cases have been detected in gay and bisexual men, with scientists saying it is possible the virus was passed on sexually.

In Spain — which has detected 30 cases, the most out of any nation — infections are being linked to a single un-named 'sauna' and are among young gay and bisexual men. In the country, sauna is slang for a place where men who have sex with other men meet for sex, rather than a bathhouse.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a smallpox drug to treat monkeypox patients Friday, while the World Health Organization revealed it will hold daily meetings as the situation unfolds.

The UK, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Germany and Australia have also confirmed cases of the virus.

Experts say the current count could be just the 'tip of the iceberg' because of travel between the nations.

(More on the link)

 

[nivek]

New York City warns residents to wear masks after local tests positive for virus related to monkeypox: CDC issues alert and WHO calls emergency meeting

The CDC is still waiting for confirmation that it is monkeypox, after the patient tested positive for orthopoxvirus - the genus of viruses that includes smallpox and monkeypox.

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[nivek]

Monkeypox outbreak is now Europe's biggest EVER with more than 100 cases reported and a 'significant rise' is expected in the UK from current 20 infections

A top British doctor has predicted a 'significant rise' in monkeypox cases in the UK in the next few weeks, as the country recorded 20 cases — and more than 100 found in Europe.

The disease, which was first found in monkeys, can be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact - including sexual intercourse - and is caused by the monkeypox virus.

Dr Claire Dewsnap, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, is worried about the rate the virus is spreading. She told Sky News that she expects a 'significant' rise in infections next week.

'What worries me the most is there are infections across Europe, so this has already spread,' she said. 'It's already circulating in the general population... It could be really significant numbers over the next two or three weeks.'

She also warned that the virus could have a 'massive impact' on access to sexual health services in Britain.

(More on the link)