The World Health Organization (WHO) expects to find more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance to countries where the disease is not endemic.
As of yesterday, 92 confirmed and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox had been reported from 12 member states where the virus is not endemic, the UN agency said, adding that it will issue further instructions and recommendations in the coming days to limit its spread.
«Available information suggests that human-to-human transmission occurs when there is close contact with asymptomatic infected people,» the WHO said.
Monkeypox, an infectious disease that usually has mild symptoms, is endemic in parts of west and central Africa. It is spread through close contact, which means that it can be relatively easily contained by isolation and adherence to hygiene rules.
«What seems to be happening is that it's being transmitted in the population as a sexually transmitted disease, and it's spreading, as sexually transmitted diseases generally do (...) around the world,» David Hayman, an infectious disease specialist at the WHO, explained to Reuters.
He said an international panel of experts met by video conference to discuss what needs to be studied about the outbreak and what information people need to be informed about, including whether there is asymptomatic spread of the virus, who is at risk and what the modes of transmission are.
He added that the meeting was called because of the «urgent nature of the situation». This committee is not the one to propose the declaration of an international health emergency, the highest level of WHO alert, as when the new coronavirus pandemic occurred.
Mr Haman noted that close contact is the main route of transmission, as the skin rashes caused are highly infectious. Parents caring for sick children are particularly at high risk, as are health workers, which explains why some countries vaccinate staff caring for patients with vaccines for smallpox, a related virus.
Several cases have been identified in sexual health clinics.
Initial sequencing of the genome based on samples from a few outbreaks in Europe showed that the virus strain has similarities to the one that had spread in a more limited way in Britain, Israel and Singapore in 2018.
The expert said it was «plausible» that the virus was already circulating outside the countries where it is endemic but there were no outbreaks due to lockdowns, social distance and travel restrictions imposed because of the pandemic of the new coronavirus.
He insisted that the situation is not similar to that in the first period after the identification of the new coronavirus because smallpox in monkeys is not transmitted so easily. Those who suspect they may have been exposed to the virus, or have symptoms such as fever or rashes, should avoid close contact with others, he stressed.
«There are vaccines available, but the most important message is that you can protect yourself,» concluded David Heyman.
