Yes, monkeypox is a real threat, but the risk levels vary

As the number of cases of monkeypox worldwide increases Over 1,300, Get a clearer picture of how an individual’s infection is progressing. In most cases it was pretty manageable. Affected people get small, painful ridges and blisters — Often in the genital area after sexual contact — With fever and swollen lymph nodes. frequentThe rash spreads to the arms, legs and face.

Monkeypox is known to leave scars that can cause cosmetic problems, but the less virulent West African version of the virus that is currently prevalent is rarely fatal. As of June 2 none In a country where the disease is not endemic, some of the people involved in the current outbreak have died.

In addition, avoiding infection is relatively easy. The virus is generally spread by contact with the pain of monkeypox, so avoiding contact with other people’s rashes is a surefire preventive strategy.

Since monkeypox infection is preventable and not particularly fatal, it may be easy to remove the threat of this pathogen. But it shouldn’t. For important reasons, these infections can be fatal.

As Covid-19 revealed, a mild infection in one person can result in the death penalty for another. A few people are at increased risk due to their existing condition — and as the outbreak grows, the monkeypox is more likely to find more vulnerable individuals. It makes it a pathogen worth containing — and worth sharing with a good cure. Also, as the outbreak continues to spread, it is worth knowing who is most likely to be injured.

The risk of monkeypox complications is higher in people with immunodeficiency, who are pregnant, or who have certain skin conditions.

Our best understanding of the range of problems that monkeypox can cause comes from Nigeria, as identified by the healthcare provider. More than 550 The outbreak of monkeypox since the outbreak of monkeypox in 2017.

The skin rash that most people receive from monkeypox infections can be very painful and, in some cases, requires hospitalization only to control the discomfort that ridges and blisters can cause. increase.But what makes monkeypox dangerous is when the virus spreads across the skin and into the organ system, he said. Andrea McCallumEpidemiologist in the Poxvirus and Rabies Division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When the monkeypox infection was fatal, the patient suffered from a severe brain, bloodstream, or lung infection. These complications can result from a direct viral effect on the organs or a bacterial infection (often referred to as a “secondary” infection) that helped promote the inflammatory effects of the virus.

He is an infectious disease doctor at Niger Delta University in Bayelsa, Nigeria. report Learn about the outcomes of Nigerian patients hospitalized between 2017 and 2018.

Nine people have died of monkeypox infections since the outbreak in Nigeria, he explained in an email. According to Ogoina, four people who died lived with an uncontrollable HIV infection, one was a newborn and the other had an underlying kidney disease and was taking immunosuppressive drugs. .. In addition, a pregnant woman with monkeypox had a spontaneous abortion at 26 weeks gestation.

It is not entirely clear why certain immunodeficiency conditions increase people’s risk of monkeypox complications. Stuart IsaacsA virologist at the University of Pennsylvania, is studying the poxvirus, a family member that includes the monkeypox virus.

Researchers have sought to reveal using the exact type of immunodeficiency condition that increases the risk of poxvirus. Animal model.. These experiments show that CD4 T cells (depleted by untreated HIV infection) and antibody-producing B cells play a major role in controlling early infections. However, there is currently little data on human progress, said Brett Petersen, a CDC internist and medical epidemiologist.

For now, the agency Recommended treatment Currently, as with children under the age of eight, a wide range of people with immunodeficiency are at risk of serious illness, including HIV, various cancers, organ transplants, specific stem cell transplants, and specific autoimmune diseases. Suggests that there is.

People with existing skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis (atopic dermatitis), are also at increased risk, McCallum said. Causes miscarriage in their pregnancy and potentially.

Risk factors for monkeypox infection overlap with those for major immunodeficiency conditions: uncontrolled HIV

In the current global outbreak, monkeypox seems to spread primarily through a type of close contact that occurs during sex. The same types of contact that give people the risk of monkeypox also poses them a risk of uncontrolled HIV transmission. This raises concerns that people who are not infected with HIV are not only infected with monkeypox, but are also at greatest risk of suffering from the worst consequences.

“This is what worries me the most,” he said. Greg Gonzalves, Epidemiologist and Global Health Activist, Faculty of Public Health, University of Yale. On average, 13% of Americans infected with HIV are unaware of the diagnosis and are untreated, but the proportion reaches 20% in some southern states, in the plains and in the west. It is even higher in some states. “If one-fifth of the HIV-positive community is unaware of their condition, it means they are at risk,” Gonzalves said.

Avoiding sexual contact when you are sick and using strict precautions such as the following can help contain the illness that spreads during sex. condom Also Dental dam..And while many sexually active people use these precautions, those whose sexual activity is stigmatized, such as gay and bisexual men in the closet. Less than probably To do so.Homosexual disgust and other stigma often interfere in these groups Get Tested When Ask Care For sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.

That is, the same marginalized people at high risk of untreated HIV are at high risk of monkeypox infection and can have serious consequences for both. In many parts of the United States, Homosexual disgust Disproportionately Preventing Black Men from Life-Saving HIV Treatment — High HIV infection rate And death Among black Americans.

The more widespread the outbreak, the greater the number of people with immunodeficiency in the end, and the more likely it is to have terrible consequences. No matter where the spread is happening, it should move us to urgent action, Ogoina said.

“There is a serious risk if we do not take global action to better understand viruses and diseases everywhere and develop innovative measures to address the monkeypox challenge everywhere.” Ogoina writes. Second, there was a major change in the degree of confusion caused by the virus and who was infected with the virus.