Monkeypox...

Have we seen it before?

Monkeypox resembles Smallpox as they come from the same genus, but the interpersonal transmission of monkeypox is much lower than smallpox which was eradicated in 1980. Monkeypox gets its name from the first monkey colonies, where the virus was first discovered in 1958, causing two outbreaks in the monkey population. Fast forward to 1970, the first human to have contracted Monkeypox was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This case involved a 9 year old boy in a region where smallpox was eliminated; leading to an outbreak of 59 cases of which 17 percent died.

In May 2003, a 3 year old girl was rushed to a hospital in America, Central Wisconsin with fever and cellulitis. A few days later, her mother also fell sick with similar symptoms. The girl’s monkeypox infection was traced back to a prairie dog that bit her which had been in contact with imported exotic animals. This was the first human monkeypox outbreak in the US with more cases reported the following days and weeks leading to 71 infected people in 6 different states [1], mostly from dog-related incidents [2]. Globally, between the years 2005 and 2007, about 760 Monkeypox laboratory confirmed human cases were identified in particular health zones signifying that most cases are under-diagnosed due to limited laboratory capacity in developing countries.

According to the World Health Organization, 780 cases were reported in 27 countries as of 02 June 2022; including European countries where Monkeypox outbreaks are rare. As of May 2022, countries with the highest number of cases outside of Africa are the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. Most reported cases so far have been presented through sexual health or other health services and have involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men (MSM).

Smallpox vaccines can be used to prevent Monkeypox, but because smallpox has been eradicated and Monkeypox is less common, vaccines are not readily available. A study by W. Rimoin et al. in 2010 showed that people vaccinated against smallpox had a 5.2 lower risk of contracting Monkeypox. It is important to note that we are more prepared to face monkey-pox because it is:

• Less transmissive than Covid-19

• We already have a working vaccine.

• We have decades of knowledge on treating Monkeypox.

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Reference List:

1. CDC. About Monkeypox. 2022 [cited 7 June 2022]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

2. Ligon B. Monkeypox: A review of the history and emergence in the Western hemisphere. Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 2004;15(4):280-287.

3. WHO. Monkeypox. 2022 [cited 7 June 2022]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox

4. Rimoin A, Mulembakani P, Johnston S, Lloyd Smith J, Kisalu N, Kinkela T et al. Major increase in human monkeypox incidence 30 years after smallpox vaccination campaigns cease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2010;107(37):16262-16267.

5. MSN. 780 cases of monkeypox reported in 27 countries. 2022 Available at: <https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/780-cases-of-monkeypox-reported-from-27-countries-as-of-june-2-says-who/ar-AAY81vT?ocid=uxbndlbing> [Accessed 8 June 2022].

6. African News Agency. 2022. Europe: WHO supporting countries affected by rare monkeypox outbreak | African News Agency. [online] African News Agency. Available at: <https://www.africannewsagency.com/the-maravi-post/europe-who-supporting-countries-affected-by-rare-monkeypox-outbreak-a5b5f42b-6ac5-566c-9a6d-fd692ca2c960/#:~:text=Monkeypox%20occurs%20primarily%20in%20tropical%20rainforest%20areas%20of,Italy%2C%20Portugal%2C%20Spain%2C%20Sweden%2C%20and%20the%20United%20Kingdom.> [Accessed 8 June 2022].