World health expert: Monkey pox does not cause a pandemic like COVID-19

A magnified image of a portion of skin tissue, taken from a skin wound of a monkey infected with the monkeypox virus – Photo: REUTERS

Health authorities around the world are paying attention to monkeypox, which is common in Central and West Africa but has appeared across Europe and the US in recent weeks, even in people who have never been. Africa.

However, experts say it is very unlikely that the monkeypox virus causes a worldwide pandemic like the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic, but recommends that health authorities in countries need to follow track this virus.

Dr Rosamund Lewis, head of the smallpox division at the World Health Organization (WHO), said “monkey smallpox is not the same as COVID-19”.

According to health officials, the spread of smallpox is much less than COVID-19. Scientists have been studying monkeypox since its discovery in humans more than 50 years ago. This disease is similar to smallpox, which means that it is preventable with smallpox prevention measures.

Scientists now know how monkeypox is spread, and how it is transmitted differently than COVID-19. Monkeypox is spread by very close contact, mostly by skin-to-skin contact or prolonged touching of an infected person’s clothing, bedding, or bedding. Meanwhile, the virus that causes COVID-19 is very contagious, it can be through talking, being in the same room or, in rare cases, using a room where someone with COVID-19 has been.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease researcher at the WHO, said: “The transmission of monkeypox actually occurs from close, skin-to-skin contact. This is completely different from contagion. of COVID-19”.

The typical symptom of monkeypox is a rash that usually begins on the face, and then spreads to the limbs and other parts of the body.

Dr Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, an infectious and viral disease expert at Emory University in Atlanta, said: “The incubation period from infection to onset of symptoms is between 5 and 21 days, which is a period of time. long time”.

Dr. Jennifer McQuiston of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the people most at risk of infection are close personal contacts of infected people, such as healthcare workers treating patients. .

“For many years we have seen that the best way to deal with this disease is to isolate the sick person to avoid spreading it to family members, and to proactively contact those who have had contact with the sick person to help prevent the spread of the disease. they can monitor if they show signs of illness,” she said.

People with monkeypox usually recover in 2-4 weeks and the mortality rate is less than 1%.

Although the recent increase in monkeypox cases is alarming, the virus that causes it is much less contagious than the virus, according to epidemiologist Jo Walker of the Yale School of Public Health. SARS-CoV-2.

He said that since monkeypox emerged, most projections have put the disease’s baseline infection coefficient (R0) at less than 1. This means that outbreaks are possible, outbreaks even become epidemics, but the disease can eventually go away on its own. This is why public health officials, including WHO, believe that the number of cases will not suddenly skyrocket.

Because monkeypox is closely related to smallpox, vaccines against monkeypox and smallpox are available. Smallpox, which kills millions each year, was “wiped out” in 1980 thanks to a worldwide vaccination campaign.

Smallpox vaccine is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, although its effectiveness declines over time. Some countries, including the US, have stockpiled smallpox vaccines in case the disease reappears, which can now be used to prevent monkeypox.