HEALTH – Three cases of monkeypox were detected in France on May 23, Public Health France announced, two more than three days earlier when the first case was reported on Friday May 20.
“So far, these cases have mainly, but not exclusively, occurred in men who have sex with men (MSM), without direct links to people returning from endemic areas,” specifies Public Health France.
The latter also adds that “the current European context is a warning and indicates a contamination in Europe” and that the long-term surveillance of this disease, called “monkeypox” in English, is reinforced in France through “the system of mandatory declaration and information and alerts.” will be sent to healthcare professionals”.
“Less than 200 cases” identified in non-endemic countries
While cases of monkeypox continue to rise outside endemic areas of Africa, particularly in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed an “atypical” situation on Monday 23 May.
So far, cases have been confirmed in a dozen European countries, but also in Australia, Canada and the United States. Nine EU countries (Austria, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden) have 69 cases so far, according to the European Disease Agency (ECDC).
According to Maria Van Kerkhove, who is responsible for the fight against Covid-19 but also for emerging diseases and zoonoses at the WHO, there are currently “fewer than 200 confirmed and suspected cases” in these non-endemic countries. This figure applies only to countries where the incidence of monkeypox is uncommon.
Ability to “stop” transmission according to WHO.
However, the WHO expressed confidence in the possibility of “stopping” transmission of the disease between people in these “non-endemic” countries during a question-and-answer session on Monday.
“It’s a situation that can be controlled, particularly in the countries where we’re seeing this outbreak in Europe,” Ms Van Kerkhove said. Early detection and isolation of cases are part of the measures recommended by WHO and ECDC, she stressed, adding that there were no serious cases at the moment.
The disease, a less dangerous cousin of smallpox, was eradicated some forty years ago and is endemic to 11 West African countries and Central Africa. It initially causes a high fever and quickly develops into a rash with scabs.
What intrigues and worries experts is the co-occurrence of cases in many countries in people who, for the most part, had no direct connection to the countries where the disease is endemic.
“Very low” probability of infection for the general population
According to initial analyses, such as an initial genome sequencing in Portugal, the variant of the virus would belong to the strain found in West Africa, which is associated with a less severe disease than the other variant of monkeypox.
It’s not yet known if the virus has mutated, observed Rosamund Lewis, the director of smallpox at the WHO’s emergency response program, but these orthopoxviruses “tend to be fairly stable.”
For the general population, the likelihood of infection is “very low”, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) judged in its first risk assessment since the unusual occurrence of dozens of cases in Europe and North America.
“Not a homosexual disease”
“However, the likelihood of transmission of the virus through close contact, such as having sex with people with multiple partners, is estimated to be high,” the agency noted in its report.
Monkeypox is usually transmitted to humans by wild rodents or primates. But human-to-human transmission is also possible, through direct contact with skin lesions or mucous membranes of a sick person, as well as through droplet infection.
Although this virus can be transmitted through sexual activity, it is not a sexually transmitted disease, stressed Andy Seale, strategic adviser for WHO’s global programs on HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections.
In the current episode, several cases have been identified in men who have sex with men. But “it’s not a homosexual disease, as some people on social networks have tried to label it,” insisted this expert. UNAIDS warned Sunday that the homophobic and racist slip-ups sometimes seen in comments about monkeypox could “quickly undermine the fight against the epidemic.”
A major global gathering is scheduled to take place next week with all experts from many industries to discuss the current episode.
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