Tracking and Responding to Global Monkeypox Outbreaks | News

June 24, 2022 – Public health officials are closely tracking the ongoing global outbreak of monkeypox, and the World Health Organization has announced: June 17 Since the beginning of this year, there have been more than 2,000 cases and one death. Bill HanageAssociate Professor and Co-Director of Epidemiology Infectious Disease Dynamics Center Harvard TH Chang Public Health School discusses the status quo of outbreaks and efforts to control the spread of the disease.

Q: What do you know about the spread of monkeypox virus internationally and in the United States?

A: A: The virus has already spread quite far. It has been occurring in Nigeria since 2017, and the transmission chain that is currently widespread worldwide appears to be derived from it.

The situation is changing rapidly, but cases of infection have been confirmed in nearly 50 countries, concentrated in Europe, and more cases are suspected. In the UK, the number of cases is high (over 500) and continues to increase, suggesting that outbreaks in the UK are currently uncontrolled. So far, the virus has been found in the United States, primarily in densely populated areas of the northeast, Florida, California, and Illinois, with a total of more than 70 cases. Cases may be underestimated worldwide.

Q: How are public health authorities responding to outbreaks? What additional information do they need to manage it?

A: A: When it comes to monitoring, we’re catching up. It was clear that the virus had spread for quite some time before it was detected, so when we started looking for the virus, we found many cases fairly quickly. The increasing number of cases reflects the growing focus on viruses rather than the rapidly growing transmission chain.

Symptoms of the illness may not always follow what some people expected. There may be relatively few blisters and acne compared to what you see in the news.This probably contributed to the period of misdiagnosing monkeypox as something else Infection.. I strongly believe that the case has still been overlooked. You need to be vigilant.

I already have monkeypox vaccination, And there is cross-protection from the vaccine used to eradicate the closely related smallpox virus. However, vaccination was discontinued when smallpox was eradicated. As a result, many people are now immune to any of these viruses.That’s one of the reasons Epidemiologist I have been monitoring the outbreak of monkeypox for a while. It’s far from surprising.

But making vaccines available is one thing, vaccination of people. It is unlikely that it will be large in the near future. In some places, to slow down the virus, we are trying to “ring vaccination” to immunize contacts and communities with known cases. This is effective in rare cases. In New York City, monkeypox vaccines are currently being offered to high-risk groups as well as contact with known cases. This seems like a wise step.

An important issue for control is how much the virus can be transmitted from someone who does not yet know that the virus is infected. This determines the prospect of controlling the outbreak by raising awareness and attention. That awareness also determines the amount of community expansion. We really should listen to our African colleagues who have great experience dealing with these infections and outbreaks.

Many early cases occurred among people who were identified as gay or bisexual men and reported multiple sexual partners. Notably, this association does not have to be a sexually transmitted disease, it is not necessarily a sexually transmitted disease, but is consistent with an infection between close contacts. Moreover, it is not clear to what extent this association reflects the heightened awareness of this particular community. Over time, you should be able to better handle transmissions on other networks.

Q: How worried people should be and how can they best protect themselves?

A: A: People should not be overly worried at this point.I can’t emphasize how different this is COVID!! Monkeypox virus does not appear to cause serious illness in most cases and is currently very rare. I already have a vaccine. It’s a completely different situation.

People, especially those who may be in the affected community, should be aware of symptoms such as rashes, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. We will learn more about this disease in the coming months, so it’s a good idea to keep up-to-date with the latest and greatest evidence.

– – Jessica Lau