Health officials worldwide are rushing to assess reserves of vaccines and treatments that may be needed to contain the spread of monkeypox, as more than a dozen countries grapple with the outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Monday that there are two vaccines in the U.S. emergency stockpile that could be used to contain monkeypox.
The original vaccine contains more than 100 million doses. The vaccine is associated with side effects and should not be given to patients who are immuno-compromised.
The Jynneos vaccine was approved for use in the year 2019. The C.D.C. has a stockpile of more than 1,000 doses.
We expect that level to ramp up very quickly in the coming weeks, as the company provides more doses to us. She said that some high-risk contacts have already been requested for the vaccine.
The dimensions of the problem in the United States are not clear. The only confirmed case was in Massachusetts, and officials were evaluating four other patients.
The situation overseas is concerning. There were more than 100 confirmed cases in 14 countries outside Africa as of Monday. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control urged health officials in Europe to assess the availability of vaccines.
The World Health Organization has about 31 million vaccine doses, but they may have lost some of their effectiveness in the decades since they were made.
Some experts theorize that the largest monkeypox clusters in Europe originated in Spain. A Gay Pride event in the Canary Islands that drew about 80,000 people, as well as a sauna in Madrid, are being investigated by Spanish officials.
Although many of the initial infections in Europe were reported by men who have sex with men, other segments of the population are vulnerable. The officials must keep a broad definition so that other groups can be included.
After the event in the Canary Islands, Britain reported its first cases of monkeypox in patients with no known links to West Africa. Some experts said the pattern of infections suggested that the virus was circulating outside of Africa.
The monkeypox virus is endemic to West and Central Africa, and continuing community transmission elsewhere is highly unusual.
The United States had enough vaccine to protect Americans, even though President Biden warned on Sunday that everyone should be concerned. Several experts said that mass immunization campaigns are not likely in the United States. The outbreaks are not likely to warrant a campaign.
Ring vaccination is an approach that has been used to suppress other outbreaks of rare diseases.
Mass immunization campaigns are not recommended because the older smallpox vaccine can have serious side effects, such as inflammation of the heart muscle. Gay men with undetected H.I.V. infections may be at risk for the vaccine. It can be fatal in people with the skin condition.
The United States considered immunizing the entire population to protect against a terrorist attack, but decided against it because of the negative consequences.
The vaccine side effects are rare.
Ring vaccination may be enough to keep monkeypox out of large groups, as newer generation vaccines like Jynneos are likely to be safer for large groups.
The United States has procured more than two million doses of an antiviral pill called tecovirimat, which is approved to treat people who become sick from the smallpox disease.
In 1970 a 9-year-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the first to be diagnosed with human monkeypox. Since the end of the mass vaccine, there has been a significant increase in monkeypox cases.
In 2003 the United States recorded dozens of monkeypox cases. The virus was first discovered in monkeys for research purposes, but it is now spread by rodents.
A week to two weeks after exposure, people can experience a range of symptoms. They develop a rash on the face, palms of the hand and soles of the feet, and then all over the body. The blisters grow and fill with a white substance.
The most distinguishing feature of smallpox is the pustule, which lasts for about a week before they heal. Patients with Monkeypox may have swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, and groin.
The rash may be limited to the genital area in some cases. The virus can still be spread through physical contact.
What is the cause of monkeypox? There are parts of Central and West Africa where monkeypox is endemic. It is not as dangerous as smallpox. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that it was discovered in 1958.
What are the symptoms? People who have been bitten by the monkeypox may have a rash that starts with a red mark and then gets raised and filled with saliva. Symptoms can take as long as three weeks after exposure to show, and can last as long as four weeks. Health officials say there are ways to control an outbreak.
How infectious is it? Body fluids, skin contact and respiratory droplets are some of the places where the virus can be spread. It has spread in unusual ways this year, and among populations that have not been at risk in the past.
Should I be concerned? There is a high chance that the virus will be spread during sexual contact, but there is a low chance that it will be transmitted in other ways. The virus can be fatal in a small percentage of cases, but most people recover within weeks.
Affected people should be isolated from the rest of the world and not have sex until their scabs are gone.
People who have been exposed to the virus should avoid close contact with people who are immune to it, including pregnant women and children. Health officials in Belgium are asking people with the same name as them to be celibate.
If you're a person who may be at risk due to a weakened immune system, it's a good idea to seek out early care and evaluation.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control warned people against close contact with pets because of the health risks.
There is a risk that the disease could become endemic in Europe if human-to- animal transmission occurs.
For years, experts have been concerned about a resurgence of monkeypox.
In 1977 the last known cases of the disease were eradicated. The number of people who are susceptible to this family of viruses has risen each year since the end of the immunization programs.
The monkeypox virus in the skin samples was collected from a male patient on May 4, but the sequence is incomplete. Researchers have concluded that the current strain is related to versions exported from Nigeria to Britain, Israel and Singapore.
Within 48 hours, the United States shared the sequence of the first confirmed case in Massachusetts. The samples from Massachusetts and Portugal seem to be related.
All signs point to this being an outbreak of person-to- person spread.
Milder symptoms are thought to be caused by the West African version of the virus. The Central African version has a mortality rate of 11 percent, compared with 30 percent for the smallpox version. There have been no deaths reported in the current outbreak.
There is no indication that the virus has changed. Monkeypox is a large DNA virus that can correct genetic errors.
The University of New South Wales in Australia's Raina MacIntyre said that monkeypox is less prone to change because it is stable.
She said she would be surprised if there was a dramatic change that made it more transmissible.
There is no mass population risk at this point.
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