Monkeypox cases could ‘accelerate’ – WHO official
PARIS: A top European health official warned on Friday that cases of monkeypox could “accelerate” in the coming months as it spreads across Europe, which is baffling scientists in Africa who have been monitoring numerous outbreaks of the zoonotic viral disease there.
Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Europe, said that “as we enter the summer season...with mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate.”
The virus, which causes distinctive pustules but is rarely fatal, has previously been seen in central and western Africa.
But over recent weeks cases have been detected in European countries, including Portugal and Sweden, as well as the United States, Canada and Australia, Kluge said, calling the spread “atypical.”
“All but one of the recent cases have no relevant travel history to areas where monkeypox is endemic,” he added.
The health official warned that transmission could be boosted by the fact that “the cases currently being detected are among those engaging in sexual activity,” and many do not recognize the symptoms.
Most initial cases of the disease have been among men who have sex with men (MSM) and sought treatment at sexual health clinics, Kluge said, adding that “this suggests that transmission may have been ongoing for some time.”
WHO has said it is investigating the fact that many cases reported were people identifying as gay, bisexual or MSM.
The official’s statement came as France, Belgium and Germany reported their first cases of monkeypox, and Italy confirmed it now had three linked cases of the disease.
In Spain, the health ministry reported seven confirmed cases, and said it was awaiting confirmation on 23 more. In Portugal, it recorded 23 confirmed infections.
.On Friday, United Kingdom health officials reported 11 more confirmed cases in England, taking its total to 20.
The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) chief medical adviser, Susan Hopkins, said she expected “this increase to continue in the coming days and for more cases to be identified in the wider community.”
She particularly urged gay and bisexual men to look out for symptoms, saying a “notable proportion” of cases in the UK and Europe came from this group.
Monkeypox had not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, the UKHSA said.
It can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions and droplets of a contaminated person, as well as shared items, like beddings and towels.
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a chickenpox-like rash on the hands and face.
Monkeypox usually clears up after two to four weeks, according to WHO.
The first UK case was announced on May 7, in a patient who recently traveled to Nigeria.
Two more cases were reported a week later, in people in the same household. They had no link to the first case.
The UKHSA said four more cases were announced on May 16 all identified as gay, bisexual or MSM and appeared to have been infected in London.
Two new cases were reported on May 18 who also had no history of traveling to countries where the virus is endemic, and “it is possible they acquired the infection through community transmission,” it added.
“I’m stunned by this. Every day I wake up and there are more countries infected,” said Oyewale Tomori, a virologist who formerly led the Nigerian Academy of Science and who sits on several WHO advisory boards.
“This is not the kind of spread we’ve seen in West Africa, so there may be something new happening in the West,” he added.
Nigeria reports about 3,000 monkeypox cases a year, according to the WHO. Outbreaks are usually in rural areas, when people have close contact with infected rats and squirrels, Tomori said, adding that many were likely missed.
Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, head of the country’s Center for Disease Control, said none of the Nigerian contacts of the British patients had developed symptoms, but added that investigations were ongoing.