Smallpox vaccines can treat monkeypox, WHO seeks its availability from countries

The monkeypox virus outbreak is not similar to the COVID-19 pandemic but uncertainties prevail, said the World Health Organisation on Friday (May 27). There have been 200 confirmed cases so far reported in over 20 countries and this number is expected to increase in the coming days. It is still “beginning days”, said WHO officials, since the first case was reported only on May 7.

The worrying part, however, is that cases have been reported in countries where monkeypox is not endemic and this is the first time that such a transmission has been seen outside of West Africa.

Smallpox vaccines are known to be effective against monkeypox and so the WHO is in the process of seeking data from countries, said WHO officials during a technical briefing to member states at the UN health agency’s annual assembly.

Monkeypox is endemic in nine African countries, but the reservoir of the virus remains unknown. It is also tough to assess the risk of spread in the community at this stage, said WHO officials.

At the technical briefing, Sylvie Briand, WHO director for Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness said that if the right measures are put in place now, they could contain the spread easily. Targeted vaccination of close contacts of people infected were being done instead of going in for mass vaccinations, WHO official added.

Also read: Monkeypox is no COVID, but Indian experts are being abundantly cautious

Monkeypox is treatable

The good news is that unlike the coronavirus that killed so many thousands of people, monkeypox is treatable. Monkeypox, which is a viral zoonotic disease, typically causes fever, chills, rash, and lesions on the face or genitals. WHO estimates the disease is fatal for up to one in 10 people.

People who have a more serious case of monkeypox may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. However, most patients recover within about two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalised.

According to the US-based Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), while the natural reservoir of monkeypox remains unknown, African rodents and non-human primates (like monkeys) may harbour the virus and infect people. Most human cases have been in central and west Africa, where the disease is endemic.

The virus is transmitted to a person when they come in contact with an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), said the CDC.

Most cases occur in Congo, which reports about 6,000 cases annually, while Nigeria has about 3,000 cases. Isolated cases of monkeypox are occasionally spotted outside Africa, including in the US and Britain and the cases are typically associated with travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas where the disease is more common.