Monkeypox case confirmed in England, with local spread, but it’s not going to be another pandemic.
orthopoxvirus
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/monkeypox-case-confirmed-in-england-1
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/monkeypox-cases-confirmed-in-england-latest-updates
Cases, + 7
Unconnected cases, + 4 (no travel links)
All transmission in London so far
Came from Nigeria
Usually a mild self-limiting illness, 14 to 21 days
Most people recover within a few weeks
Mortality, 1%
Monkeypox strains
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1134714-overview
Milder west African strain
More severe central African, (Congo strain)
Current English cases, west African strain
Transmission
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/monkeypox-case-confirmed-in-england-1
there is a very low risk of transmission to the general population
does not spread easily between people
when someone is in close contact with an infected person
People without symptoms are not considered infectious
(those who have been in close proximity are being contacted)
https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/transmission.html
Animal to human, (African rodents)
Human to human
Broken skin
Respiratory tract
Mucous membranes
Direct contact with body fluids or lesion material
Indirect contact with lesion material, contaminated bedding
Primarily through large respiratory droplets
Prolonged face-to-face contact
Dr Nicholas Price, Director NHSE High Consequence Infection Diseases (airborne) Network
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/monkeypox-case-confirmed-in-england-1
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/monkeypox/
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
Rash, 1 to 5 days after first symptoms
A rash can develop, often beginning on the face,
then spreading to other parts of the body.
The rash changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.
(can look like chickenpox or syphilis)
Starts as raised spots, forming into fluid filled blisters, then scabs which fall off
Incubation period of monkeypox
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON381
Usually from 6 to 13 days
Lesions can be very itchy or painful
Case fatality ratio
West African clade, 1%
Congo Basin clade, may be as high as 10%
Children are at higher risk
Monkeypox during pregnancy, complications, congenital monkeypox or stillbirth
A vaccine has been approved
Traditional smallpox vaccine also provides protection
(UK, 1971)
Post-exposure prophylaxis with vaccination is being offered to the higher risk contacts
Since September 2017, Nigeria
558 suspected cases reported from 32 states
241 were confirmed cases
eight deaths recorded
(Case Fatality Ratio: 3.3%)
STI?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/17/monkeypox-likely-sexually-transmissible-infection-health-officials/
Four of seven cases, in England, past two weeks, gay or bisexual men
If so this is new
Source