SunLive – Monkeypox: A Short Window for Action, Experts Say

Leading health advocates are calling for bolder action against monkeypox, saying New Zealand could make the same mistake as other countries if the government doesn’t act now.

A five-page letter was sent to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, with copies of various government ministers and health officials, including Health Minister Andrew Little, Health Minister Aisha Beral, New Zealand Health Department and top Maori staff. . health authorities.

It calls for “immediate action to prepare for and prevent MPX escalation.” [monkeypox] Aotearoa, New Zealand case,” said Joe Rich, chief executive of the Barnett Foundation (formerly the NZ AIDS Foundation), Anne Robertson, president of the New Zealand Sexual Health Society, and sexual health. Signed by top researcher Peter Saxton.

“We must act now,” they wrote. “The rapid spread of MPX demonstrates the failure of early public health strategies implemented abroad.”

They want a dedicated monkeypox response team. Vaccine plans take precedence. Better, non-judgmental public health communication. Self-isolation support.

Rich told RNZ the organization was working constructively with the government on its response, but was concerned about how similar the current plans were to those of northern hemisphere countries.

“What we are seeing at the moment is that in the northern hemisphere, the approaches that have tried to control monkeypox are not working. [case] number is increasing. ”

Since early May, there have been more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cases in more than 70 countries outside of those where the virus was commonly endemic.

in New Zealand, 3 cases confirmed – Two of them have recovered.

The Ministry of Health considers the public health risk to be low to moderate, but there is a high risk that more cases will be imported.

Rich says the post-exposure vaccination approach known as ring vaccination is “not good enough” and should be used as a preventative and primary tool rather than relying on contact tracing and testing. .

“This is not a criticism,” he says. “This is just saying that it has the advantage of being able to know what works and what doesn’t in other countries.”

Associate Professor Peter Saxton from the University of Auckland said he hopes New Zealand will be able to “stay ahead of the virus, rather than chasing the rapidly spreading infection among the most at-risk communities abroad”. , said that pre-exposure vaccines should be procured.

He is concerned that infections will soon start to go unnoticed and the virus will “start spreading locally.”

“The window of opportunity for action is still short before monkeypox takes hold.”

The Ministry of Health said it was “collaborating with Pharmac to ensure access to a third-generation smallpox vaccine that could be considered for targeted prevention of monkeypox.”

RNZ understands that health authorities and manufacturers are discussing possible delivery schedules for vaccines and antiretroviral treatments.

“I am very worried to be honest with you.”

Gays, bisexuals, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by the current global outbreak, but anyone can get monkeypox.

The health ministry said the risk of infection was “significantly lower” than Covid-19 or measles “given the need for very close contact”.

It can be transmitted from person to person through close contact with contaminants such as skin lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and bedding, but is less likely to be sexually transmitted.

Dr. Massimo Giora. Photo: Attached.

Dr Massimo Giora, senior member of the New Zealand Sexual Health Society, says the country needs to act “before it becomes a big problem”.

Dr. Giora was gay and worked on infectious diseases in Italy in the 1990s, at the “right height of the AIDS pandemic.”

The current monkeypox outbreak leaves him feeling like he’s reliving those days, but he’s “fast-forwarding” and wants to see a stronger outbreak response.

He understands why some MSM feel “threatened.”

“I am very worried to be honest with you.”

Generating an unbiased response presents challenges, says Giora.

Specifically, stakeholders should help the MSM community, including those who call monkeypox a “gay disease” or think it only affected the MSM community, without fueling the homophobia the outbreak has sparked online. should be cautiously acknowledged that they are being affected in disproportionately large proportions. he says.

This struggle is already happening in the patients he sees.

Giola started talking to patients who inquired about the HIV preventive drug PrEP Whether they knew of monkeypox and where to find the information.

“The question I get all the time, all the time, is, ‘When are we going to get the vaccine?’ I hope to

‘Leadership, Bold Action’ Needed

The Barnett Foundation’s Rich said he wasn’t trying to cause panic, but said authorities needed to be “very careful” to respond appropriately.

“From our experience with Covid, we know New Zealand has a unique opportunity to learn from the rest of the world.”

The letter to Ardern noted parallels with the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Like Covid-19, an effective response to MPX will require leadership, bold action and comprehensive resources at a level commensurate with the threat of this new global public health emergency. is.”

RNZ asked the Ministry of Health a series of specific questions about the concerns raised in the letter.

No response was received, but Acting Public Health Director Harriet Carr said the department “acknowledges the concerns raised in this letter.”

Carr also said public health advice has been addressed to the general public and health professionals since the “early stages of the current global pandemic.”

The RNZ has also reached out to the prime minister, health minister and deputy health minister’s office for comment.

-RNZ/Jake McKee.