However, cases of mpox caused by the West African form of the virus have been reported in 94 countries worldwide as of the time of this article’s publication, including in areas where it doesn’t usually occur. There are two different types of the mpox virus, the West African virus, and the Congo Basin virus.īefore 2022, most cases of mpox occurred in central and western Africa. It can also be transmitted from one human to another. This means it can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. The lesions can appear on or near your genitals or anus and in other areas. It causes fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a lesion-like rash. The global total stands at more than 60,000 cases in 105 countries.Mpox (monkeypox) is a viral disease similar to smallpox. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct 7 reported 172 more monkeypox cases, raising the national total to 26,557. This is the first commercial test to be authorized for monkeypox detection. The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for Abbott's monkeypox test, which will offer real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results for clinicians. This outbreak, and early experience from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, illustrates why narrow case definitions and restricted access to testing might impede public health responses,' they write. 'The outbreak has confounded what was previously known (or thought to be known) about the epidemiology, transmission, and clinical features of monkeypox. In a commentary on the study, two researchers from the UK Health Security Agency write that the outbreak should inspire clinical curiosity, as many patients report fewer lesions than in past outbreaks, and the sexual transmission component is relatively new. Though previous monkeypox outbreaks have demonstrated the virus can be passed via sexual contact, that mode of transmission is the dominant force behind the current outbreak, the authors said. 'Some patients met sexual partners at mass gatherings, possibly contributing to amplification of monkeypox virus transmission, and 16% had a concurrent STI,' referring to sexually transmitted infections. 'All but three patients reported sexual or close intimate contact in the 21 days before symptom onset, and most reported multiple sexual partners, with a median of three partners,' the authors concluded. Thirty percent of patients said they developed lesions or rash as a first symptom. Of 161 patients with available information, 37 (23%) met their sexual partners at such gatherings, including the Maspalomas Festival on Spain's Gran Canaria island, and various other Pride-related festivities in Europe and the United States, the authors said.

Mass gatherings linked to transmissionĪ significant proportion of patients reported attending large mass gatherings before developing monkeypox symptoms. Overall, 30 (13%) of 226 patients were admitted to hospital 16 (53%) of whom had severe illness, defined as hospital admission for clinical care rather than infection control, the authors said. The median age of patients was 37 years, and 44% were HIV-positive. Monkeypox patients who were HIV-positive were more likely to report diarrhea, anal rash and lesions, and a higher rash burden.ĭata were collected from May 1 to Jul 1, 2022, across 71 clinical sites in 29 countries. Other important findings show that men who have sex with men (99% of all male patients) reported a median of three recent sexual partners, and clinical manifestations of the virus differed by HIV status, but HIV status did not correlate with more severe disease outcomes.

The study is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and adds to a growing body of literature that shows the monkeypox outbreak is primarily fueled by sexual contact. A new study of GeoSentinel Network data involving 226 monkeypox cases from 15 countries shows that, of 219 patients for whom data were available, 216 (99%) reported sexual or close intimate contact in the 21 days before symptom onset.

Monkey pox transmission