By The United States declared a monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency, a step that can increase access to health agents to funds and enable new governments to increase the production and use of existing vaccines.
This step follows the declaration by the world health organization in July. Reuters calculations have calculated more than 25,800 cases globally and three countries outside Africa have reported death.
How dangerous is that?
First identified in the monkey, this virus is transmitted mainly through close contact with an infected person. This usually causes mild symptoms including fever, rashes, swollen lymph nodes and skin lesions filled with pus. Severe cases can occur even though people tend to recover in two to four weeks, according to WHO.
Anyone can spread the virus, but the current outbreak outside Africa is concentrated almost exclusively among men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox spreads mainly through intimate skin-to-skin contact, usually with someone who has an active rash, and through contact with clothes or contaminated beds. This is not easy to transmit like the SARS-COV-2 virus that stimulates Pandemi Covid-19.
Why is it an emergency?
The United States hopes that the Public Health Emergency Declaration will help contain disease before becoming endemic. This status releases funding and provides flexibility of regulations to health institutions that can help increase access to vaccines and maintenance.
Health officials from several countries have urged WHO to label monkeypox public health emergencies that are of international concern because of the rapid increase in cases and fears may be endemic in more countries.
The emergency declaration aims to spur global actions and collaboration in everything ranging from testing to the production and distribution of vaccines and maintenance.
The mortality rate in the previous monkeypox outbreak in Africa from strains that currently spread around 1%, but so far this plague seems to be less deadly in non-endemic countries, many of which have stronger health care infrastructure. Until this year, viral diseases rarely spread outside Africa where it is endemic.
Scientists try to determine what causes the initial case and if the virus has changed. Increased global travel and climate change generally accelerate the emergence and spread of viruses, said experts.
Infectious disease experts say that financial neglect for years has left the sexual health clinic at the front lines of the current monkeypox response which is not ready to curb further spread.
Protective action
Health officials say that people should avoid close personal contact with someone who has a disease that has a typical rash or the opposite is not healthy. People who are suspicious they have monkeypox must isolate and seek medical treatment.
Health officials have also offered Monkeypox vaccines to high-risk people and those who recently made close contact with infected people.
The Danish company Bavaria Nordic has a vaccine in accordance with the name of the brand Jynneos, Imvamune or Imvanex – depending on geography. It has US and European approval to prevent smallpox and monkeypox is closely related.
The older vaccine, is currently made by the biosolution that appears, is called acam2000, but its absorption is limited due to severe side effects.
Bavarian Nordic said it could produce 30 million vaccine doses – including Monkeypox one – every year, and had tapped the US -based contract manufacturer to increase the capacity of the monkeypox vaccine.
Treatment
Symptoms of Monkeypox often heal on a few weeks. Patients can receive additional fluids and additional treatment for secondary bacterial infections.
Antivirus agent named Tecovirimat – labeled as TPOXX and made by Siga Technologies – has US and EU approval for smallpox, while European approval also includes Monkeypox and Cowpox.