Monkeypox: Why LA is aware of this rare but potentially serious illness

Increasing numbers of cases of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious viral disease in Europe, and a single case in Massachusetts are receiving increasing attention from health authorities.

Monkeypox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, but is less contagious than its well-known cousins ​​and less contagious than the virus that causes COVID-19.

Monkeypox is attracting attention because it occurs and cases occur in areas where it does not normally occur, raising questions about the likelihood of human-to-human transmission.

There are no known cases of monkeypox in Los Angeles County, said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “We want to reassure people. It’s really, really rare,” Feller said.

However, the county is monitoring cases of monkeypox and will issue guidance to healthcare providers so that cases of suspected monkeypox can be reported to the county. According to Feller, if you notice an abnormal rash or skin lesion that “generally starts in one area but quickly spreads throughout your body,” you should contact your healthcare provider.

Causes of monkeypox Symptoms Similar to smallpox, but generally milder. The illness begins with fever, pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, fatigue, and then develops into a rash. It usually starts on the face, spreads to other parts of the body, turns into pus-filled pain, and falls off.

The illness can last 2-4 weeks.by World Health OrganizationHistorically, 0% to 11% of people infected with monkeypox have died of the disease, with higher case fatality rates in infants.

The last major monkeypox Outbreak It occurred in the United States in 2003, with 71 confirmed or suspicious cases. It occurred primarily in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois. The confirmed case was in contact with a pet prairie dog obtained from a suburban animal dealer. Chicago It was housed near a giant Gambian rat and dormouse from Ghana.

No one died from this outbreak in the United States. Only two patients (both children) had serious illness. Both have recovered.

The 2003 outbreak was the first time monkeypox was detected in the United States.

It usually takes 7 to 14 days after exposure, but it can take up to 21 days for symptoms to appear.

According to the CDC, there are tools available to control the development of monkeypox. Smallpox vaccine, Not open to the public. To prevent monkeypox and smallpox, one vaccine is licensed for use in the United States. “Past data in Africa suggest that smallpox vaccines are at least 85% effective in preventing monkeypox,” the CDC said.

“If the monkeypox reoccurs in the United States, the CDC will establish guidelines that explain who should be vaccinated,” the CDC said. Smallpox is the only infectious disease that targets humans who have been declared eradicated.

People are usually exposed to the monkeypox virus by bites and scratches on infected animals, Feller said.

“But it doesn’t spread easily among people, but it can spread through contact with body fluids,” Feller said. The virus can spread through monkeypox pain, contaminated fluids and pain, such as clothing and bedding, or contact with respiratory droplets after prolonged face-to-face contact.

Common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus, Feller said.

According to the CDC, monkeypox, first found in monkey colonies raised for scientific research in 1958, is commonly found in rodents and primates in Central and Western Africa.

The first human case of monkeypox was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

Outbreaks in Europe have received sufficient attention and the CDC is supporting the investigation of monkeypox cases in Europe.

Recent cases of human monkeypox report In Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and Sweden, according to the Associated Press.Single person case This week was reported in MassachusettsAn infected man recently traveled from Canada.That person made a private transport between Canada and Massachusetts, the CDC Said.. According to AP, Montreal officials are investigating the alleged infection.

“It’s not clear how people in these clusters were exposed to monkeypox, but the cases include people who are self-identifying as men having sex with men,” the CDC said. Said On that website. “The CDC encourages US healthcare providers to pay attention to patients with rash disease that is consistent with monkeypox, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, whether they have monkeypox travel or specific risk factors. I’m looking for it. “

“Many of these global reports of monkeypox cases occur within the sexual network, but healthcare providers need to be aware of rashes that are characteristic of monkeypox. If you have a rash and are worried about monkeypox, you are asking the general public to contact your healthcare provider, “said Poxvirus expert and director of the CDC’s High-Results Pathogens and Pathology Department. One Dr. Inger Damon said: statement..

There were several cases of monkeypox recorded in the United States in 2021.

In November, the CDC and Maryland authorities confirmed a case of monkeypox in a US resident who traveled to Nigeria.

And last July, the case was confirmed by the CDC of a US citizen who traveled to Nigeria and the Texas health authorities. Authorities have identified more than 200 people who may come into contact with the person. No additional cases related to travelers were found.

CDC said monkeypox Remerge More than 40 years after no cases have been reported in Nigeria in 2017 in Africa’s most populous country. More than 450 cases have been reported in Nigeria. According to the CDC, at least eight cases are being exported worldwide.

Research on monkeypox has been limited since the mid-1980s, and data acquisition efforts have declined for 20 years. Data collected between 1981 and 1986 states that “monkeypox virus is very unlikely to maintain itself in human populations and therefore did not constitute a major public health problem.” Suggested. Research paper In the subject. Smallpox vaccination efforts ended in 1980 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. time Smallpox was declared to be eradicated.

Then, in 2010, a study was published showing the results of recent disease surveillance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study suggested that the incidence of human monkey pox increased 20-fold between the early 1980s and November 2005-November 2007.

“Thirty years after the end of the smallpox mass vaccination campaign, the incidence of monkeypox in humans has increased dramatically in rural areas. [Democratic Republic of Congo]”. The study was published in the minutes of the National Academy of Sciences and was written by 19 scientists. The lead author of the report is Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Studies show that the driving force behind monkeypox virus infection in Africa is contact with infected animals.

“Monkeypox continues to occur almost exclusively in rural areas in or near the rainforest. There are many degraded secondary forests and deciduous trees, two habitats associated with the risk of monkeypox. Semi-deciduous forests are common near these villages, “the report said. “Continuous logging from logging or opening up new land for agriculture favors increased human exposure to squirrels and other suspicious reservoir species, providing an opportunity for monkeypox zoonosis. May increase. “

“Furthermore, the repeated civil war and the consequent increase in poverty have made residents more extensively dependent on locally available protein sources such as monkeys, squirrels and other rodents, all of which. It can be a source of human infection, “the report said. Said.

According to the report, there is reason to believe that the transmission of monkeypox from person to person has increased.

“Reduced vaccination rates can increase human-to-human transmission even more non-linearly. Compared to the 1980s, when only small children were susceptible, now all households are almost or completely vaccinated. I have not been vaccinated, “the report said.

Scientists say that human monkeypox will one day become a “global health problem,” such as when monkeypox settles in non-African wildlife reservoirs, such as the American monkeypox-susceptible Gillis. Warned that there is a possibility.

“If monkeypox settles in wildlife reservoirs outside Africa, it will be difficult to reverse the public health recession,” the report said.

“The possibility that the increased incidence reflects an increase in human-to-human transmission raises further health concerns, and increased interhuman circulation opens up the possibility of geographical spread by travelers. , SARS or pandemic influenza should be investigated as it promotes similarity to the international spread. 2009. “

However, one of the hallmarks of monkeypox, its peculiar symptoms, helps authorities control its spread.

Scientists have urged more to do more to reduce monkeypox infections in humans.

“Failure to pursue a more comprehensive assessment of epidemiology, risk, and possible controls can have serious implications,” scientists write. “Inaction ignores the preventable pathological conditions that indigenous peoples are suffering from. In the worst case, monkeypox has increased adaptation to humans and fights this infection while its geographical range is still limited. Opportunities may be lost. “