Monkeypox: an expert explains what you need to know

Since early May, more than 23,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide. This is the largest ever global outbreak of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.

While anyone can get monkeypox, the current outbreak is overwhelmingly affecting sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. In fact, a recent study found that 98% of these infections had occurred in this group.

Monkeypox is a disease caused by infection with the human monkeypox virus, which comes from the same virus family as smallpox. In fact, symptoms are quite similar to smallpox and include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, cold symptoms (such as a cough or sore throat).

Symptoms are also accompanied by a rash that appears in blisters on the face, genitals, the chest and back, and on the hands and feet. Some people also experience very painful sores in the mouth or inside the bottom. For most people, the disease usually resolves within two to three weeks.

Monkeypox spreads through close physical contact with an infected person. Typically this means skin-to-skin contact, especially contact with the rashes and skin lesions caused by the disease. But it can also be spread through large respiratory droplets (such as coughing and sneezing).

It can also spread through contact with bed sheets, towels or other fabrics that have come in contact with the infected person’s sores. The virus can persist on surfaces for a long time, sometimes up to several weeks.

It’s worth stressing the virus can spread through any contact with lesions or large respiratory droplets from an infected person but this kind of non-sexual transmission has so far occurred very rarely, in less than 1% of cases.

Research suggests the vaccine can provide around 85% protection from infection. If given between four and 14 days after exposure to monkeypox, the vaccine may potentially reduce symptoms of the disease.

Now, there are already reports of infections in both women and children.

The declaration of a worldwide pandemic by the WHO will hopefully serve to co-ordinate the global response and open up the possibility of mass production of several vaccines with access for all. The question is whether it will be fast enough.