Monkeypox

The first batch of 5,300 monkeypox vaccine doses ordered by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) was sent to Spain on Tuesday, according to a Commission official.

“As of today, the first vaccine deliveries in response to the monkeypox epidemic have arrived in the most impacted nations,” Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stated. The Commission ordered 1,09,090 doses of Imvanex, a smallpox vaccine manufactured by Danish producer Bavarian Nordic, in mid-June and intended to begin delivery to European Union (EU) member states, as well as Norway and Iceland, by the end of this month.

The vaccine doses are distributed on a pro-rata basis, with the nations with the largest number of cases receiving priority distribution. Vaccines will be distributed after Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Belgium.

On the same day, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) launched a rolling evaluation of Imvanex’s use against monkeypox. According to the organisation, laboratory investigations show that the vaccination “triggers the creation of antibodies that target the monkeypox virus.”

Imvanex is now approved in the EU for adult smallpox prevention. Because the viruses that cause smallpox and monkeypox are so similar, the smallpox vaccination may be used to prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Because Imvanex is not widely accessible in the EU, the EMA suggests using Jynneos, a Jynneos-manufactured variant licenced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for both smallpox and monkeypox.

Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, muscular pains, and tiredness, and the condition is potentially lethal. It is a zoonotic illness, which means it may be transferred not just from animals to people, but also from humans to humans.

“Since May 18, approximately 2,682 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 23 EU member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden),” according to the Commission.

The current epidemic of monkeypox is the first outside of Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Saturday that the Monkeypox outbreak does not now constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

“The WHO Director-General concurs with the opinion provided by the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country monkeypox epidemic and, at this time, does not consider the incident to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),” the WHO said in a news statement. The improvements occurred during a meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee in response to the multi-country monkeypox epidemic.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the other hand, voiced grave worry. Tedros took to Twitter and stated, “The reaction demands immediate concerted effort to halt the spread of the Monkeypox virus, utilising public health measures and ensuring health tools are available to at-risk groups and equally distributed. The entire set of recommendations made by the Committee.”

The WHO Director-General expressed grave alarm about the spread of monkeypox, which has already been discovered in more than 50 countries across five WHO regions, with 3000 cases reported since early May.

The Emergency Committee expressed severe concerns about the current outbreak’s scope and pace, identified several unknowns and gaps in current data, and created a consensus report that reflects the Committee’s various viewpoints.

Overall, they advised the WHO DG in the report that the event does not currently constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest level of alert WHO can issue, but acknowledged that the convening of the committee itself reflects the growing concern about the international spread of monkeypox.

The Emergency Committee stated their willingness to reassemble if needed. Since May 11, 2022, the WHO Secretariat has been informing States Parties to the IHR about this event via postings on the Event Information Site (a secured platform established by the WHO Secretariat for information sharing with States Parties to the IHR).

The purpose of these posts was to raise awareness about the scope of the epidemic, educate preparedness activities, and offer access to technical information for rapid public health interventions suggested by the WHO Secretariat.

The formation of an IHR Emergency Committee implies an increase in the degree of awareness for States Parties to the IHR and the worldwide public health community, as well as a demand for increased public health measures in response to this occurrence, according to WHO.

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Transmission is happening in several previously unreported nations, with the biggest number of cases now reported from countries in the WHO European Region.

Initial monkeypox cases found in various countries in different WHO Regions showed no epidemiological linkages to places that had previously reported monkeypox, indicating that undetected transmission may have been occurring in those nations for some time.

The majority of verified monkeypox cases are male, and the bulk of these instances occur among homosexual, bisexual, and other males who have sex with men in metropolitan settings and are part of clustered social and sexual networks.

Eight African nations have reported confirmed monkeypox cases, with several more reporting suspected cases, according to Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Moeti stated during an online media conference on Thursday that there are approximately 1,900 confirmed monkeypox cases in 39 countries worldwide, with eight African nations reporting cases. According to Moeti, Ghana and Morocco, which had no prior occurrences of monkeypox, now have five and one confirmed cases, respectively.

According to Moeti, 36 monkeypox confirmed cases have been reported in Nigeria, 10 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), eight in the Central African Republic, three each in Benin and Cameroon, and two in the Republic of the Congo.

Ethiopia, Guinea, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda, all of which had no previous incidents, have also reported suspected cases, according to her.

Because Africa is in a “unique circumstance,” it should “be fully prepared” and have “fair access to both vaccinations and treatment,” according to Moeti, who warned of a replay of the disparities observed during the COVID-19 response.

In terms of monkeypox vaccine, Moeti stated that, while the WHO does not propose widespread immunisation at this time, Africa must be “ready should the need arise.”

WHO meet on Monkeypox

The WHO said on Tuesday that its Emergency Committee will meet next week to determine whether the current spread of monkeypox in non-endemic nations constitutes a worldwide public health emergency.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, stated, “The outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and concerning. For that reason I have decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations next week, to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”

On June 23, the World Health Organization will be hosting an emergency conference to decide if the global monkeypox outbreak should be classified as a public health emergency of international concern.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, stated, “The outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and concerning. For that reason I have decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations next week, to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”

Also Read: Threat of monkeypox spreading to non-endemic nations is’real’: Tedros

Now, The World Health Organization has agreed to assemble an Emergency Committee to determine whether the current monkeypox outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of worldwide concern. Dr. Tedros also provided updates on several problems related to the outbreak, including immunization and the virus’s renaming.

Later on, he stated, “It’s also crucial that vaccines are provided equitably wherever they are required”. To that aim, WHO is working together with its Member States and partners to devise a mechanism to ensure that vaccinations and treatments are distributed fairly. “While smallpox vaccines should provide some protection against #monkeypox,” he added, “there is insufficient clinical data and supplies.”

1600 confirmed Monkeypox cases

Until a few months, Monkeypox was primarily confined to western and central Africa. However, the WHO has received reports of 1,600 confirmed Monkeypox cases and 1,500 suspected cases from 39 countries this year, 32 of which have recently been infected with the virus. There have been 72 deaths reported in countries where monkeypox is already endemic, but none in the newly affected countries.

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In an address on Wednesday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, encouraged impacted nations to identify all cases and contacts in order to limit the spread.
“Over 1,000 instances of #monkeypox have been recorded from 29 countries where the illness is not endemic, with no deaths documented thus far.” “The @WHO encourages impacted nations to identify all cases and contacts in order to manage the outbreak and prevent further spread,” Tedros tweeted. He emphasised the need of preventing the illness from spreading further, saying that while no deaths have been documented thus far, the possibility of monkeypox establishing in non-endemic nations is significant.

“There are antivirals and vaccinations licenced for monkeypox, but these are in limited supply,” Tedros said, adding that WHO is working on building a coordinating system based on public health requirements and that mass immunisation is required because the illness has spread to 29 countries.

“People who have symptoms should stay at home, and those who share a house with sick people should avoid close contact,” he said.

He also mentioned how the virus has been living and murdering in Africa for decades, but the world only became aware of it when it began impacting high-income countries.

“The communities dealing with the HIV danger every day deserve the same concern, care, and means to protect themselves,” the WHO Chief concluded his remarks.

Monkeypox is normally a self-limiting condition that lasts 2 to 4 weeks, according to the WHO. It can be severe in youngsters, pregnant women, and those who have immune suppression from other illnesses.

The incubation time is typically 6 to 13 days, although it can range between 5 and 21 days.

Typical symptoms include fever, headache, muscular discomfort, backache, exhaustion, enlarged lymph nodes, and skin rashes or sores.

According to sources, three samples tested for monkeypox in India in the last ten days have come back negative for the viral disease, indicating that while India has not yet had a case of monkeypox, the pox’s spread around the world is being actively monitored. Three samples from Hyderabad and Goa sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s premier virology laboratory at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune tested negative.

“There has yet to be a laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox in India. So far, all samples sent to the National Institute of Virology have come back negative.

Aside from sample testing, the method in the event of a suspected or confirmed case is similar to that used during the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, those suspected of having monkeypox would be quarantined at approved medical facilities until all lesions have healed and a new layer of skin has formed, or until the treating physician decides to release them.

Since May 13, the World Health Organization has received reports of infections from at least 23 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Australia, which are not endemic to the monkeypox virus.

As of May 26, 257 laboratory-confirmed cases and roughly 120 suspected cases have been reported to the UN authorities as of May 26.

According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is caused by the Monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family. Fever, rash, and enlarged lymph nodes are the most common symptoms.

According to the World Health Organization, “monkeypox is transmitted to people by direct contact with an infected person or animal, or through material contaminated with the virus.” It is spread from person to person through direct contact with lesions, bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials such as bedding, according to health experts.

The Indian government had already given SOPs to local authorities to perform surveillance at all entry points into the country, including foreign travellers arriving from Africa and those who displayed symptoms of the disease.

The current monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is “unlikely” to escalate to a pandemic. However, the organisation stressed that it is still uncertain if asymptomatic infected people can transmit the disease.

Dr. Rosamund Lewis of the World Health Organization said there are still many unknowns regarding the disease, including the specific reason for its spread. Lewis further stated that the vast majority of instances are seen in gay and bisexual people, and that those who are at risk should exercise caution.

The outbreaks are concerning because, unlike the current wave of infections, monkeypox, which is spread by close contact and was initially discovered in monkeys, is predominantly found in western and central Africa and only very rarely spreads elsewhere.

There have been no deaths reported in the latest outbreak outside of Africa so far. Scientists are still trying to figure out if the monkeypox outbreak in developed countries can be linked back to Africa.

What are some of the signs and symptoms of monkeypox?

Fever, body pains, chills, and weariness are the most common symptoms of monkeypox. A rash and lesions on the face and hands may appear in people who have a more serious condition, and these lesions can spread to other parts of the body.