2103 confirmed cases, 1 death in 42 countries

Since the end of May, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an ongoing outbreak of monkeypox.Moderate risk“To the world. This is lower than high risk, but higher than low risk. What does medium risk look like? Well, in just one week, in the laboratory since the start of 2022. The total number of confirmed cases of monkey pox has increased from 1285 on June 8 to 2103 on June 15. 780 on June 4. These figures are Latest WHO status update on June 17th..

Yes, who, what, when, and how the world has a situation here. Currently, cases span 42 countries and 5 different WHO regions, and cases of monkeypox include many countries that are rarely or not seen at all. Most of these confirmed cases (1773 or 84% of all cases) are in the WHO Europe region, which is second in the Americas region with 245 or 12% and third in Africa (64 or 3%). .. One person died in Nigeria as well.

This is probably just the tip of the monkeypox iceberg. Many cases may not be reported, especially if the symptoms are mild. In addition, WHO provided suspicious cases and deaths in previous status updates, but focused primarily on possible confirmed cases, including confirmed and possible deaths. To match. ” This can lead to further underestimation of the magnitude and extent of the outbreak.

Now, don’t start using p-word here just because the monkeypox virus has spread to multiple countries (meaning “pandemic”, not other p-words). This is not another pandemic for three major reasons. Unlike Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), monkeypox virus is not new to human virus. Not many humans, but have been infected with humans since 1971. Due to some similarities between smallpox virus and monkeypox virus, the immune system may not be the complete virgin of the virus if it has been previously vaccinated against smallpox. Second, we need clearer evidence that the virus is persistently transmitted in multiple countries. Then there is the third reason. This is not a new virus for humans, even if there is a persistent infection. Yes, this is the same reason as the first. However, it is important to emphasize that the pathogen must be new in order to be considered a pandemic.

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So far, of the 14 countries where demographic information is available, 99% are men under the age of 65, with a median age of 37. WHO said, “I am most self-aware as a man who has sex with other men.” But before the Gate of Stigma opens, there are a few things to note. Only 468 of the 2103 confirmed cases had demographics and other personal information available. In addition, the cases reported and confirmed in the laboratory are usually only a small part of all actual cases. Who knows how many other unreported cases are and what their characteristics are (meaning synonymous, not a health agency). Finally, the virus spreads through close contact of all kinds. It has no judgment so that people can do so.

This was an unusual outbreak, not just because it was monkeypox. It was a rare case of monkeypox. My May 8th article Forbes Explaining the typical progression of symptoms, he showed fever and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash on the face before it spread to other parts of the body, especially the limbs. Prior to this current outbreak, these lesions tended to synchronize. That is, all lesions were at the same stage at a particular time, whether at the stage of a flat rash, ridge, fluid-filled vesicles, pustules, or scabs. However, there is a rare presentation about this current outbreak:

• Lesions that precede other symptoms such as fever, malaise, and swollen lymph nodes: It’s like jumping into the chorus of a song. ..
• Only one or a few lesions: For more lesions.
• Genital or perineal / perineal lesions: Lesions usually begin on the face and spread to other parts of the body, especially the limbs.
• Lesions at different stages at the same time: Normally, all lesions are at the same stage of development at a particular time and are synchronous rather than asynchronous.

Speaking of genitals, WHO is investigating whether sexual fluids such as semen can infect the virus. As I covered last week Forbes..

Now, just because this outbreak is “moderate risk” does not mean that your municipality will have the same reaction as when the Covid-19 coronavirus is shown to be “moderate risk”. Again, these are very different viruses. WHO points out that the main monkeypox control remains patient monitoring, contact tracking, quarantine and care. WHO currently does not recommend mass vaccination with available smallpox vaccines. Instead, medical professionals who may be seeing monkeypox patients, public health workers who may be investigating outbreaks, and laboratory staff who may be dealing with the virus in some way. We recommend vaccination for people at high risk of exposure. This is considered pre-exposure prophylaxis against the monkeypox vaccine. Vaccination may also help with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Within 4 days of initial exposure to monkeypox virus. This can be up to 14 days if symptoms have not yet appeared. WHO also does not recommend a specific travel ban due to its outbreak.

Again, this monkeypox outbreak is not the same as the Covid-19 pandemic. It does not encourage the same approach used in Covid-19. But that doesn’t mean you should have monkeypox. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Be careful if people around you may have been infected with the monkeypox virus, such as keeping a distance and seeing a real doctor as soon as possible. Also, if your friends, colleagues, or strangers have unexplained lesions, resist the urge to touch them.