Monkeypox cases have been reported in several European countries.
Spanish health authorities have issued alerts of possible outbreaks of monkeypox after dozens of individuals showed symptoms of viral infection.
UK and Portuguese health authorities have already confirmed multiple monkeypox cases.
https://twitter.com/Jehane94/status/1526976191978250240
ALERT: Spain and Portugal detect over 40 suspected #monkeypox cases https://t.co/FXTKSiSUB4 pic.twitter.com/2yXRrp5Kob
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) May 18, 2022
Monkeypox is now suspected or confirmed in 3 European metropolitan areas, with transmission to 4 in London, 5 confirmed in Lisbon with 20 suspected, and 8 suspected in Madrid. 🧵 https://t.co/tKq4qRZTqh
— Infectious Diseases (@InfectiousDz) May 18, 2022
NEWS 📣: We've detected 2 additional cases of #Monkeypox, one in London and one in the South East of England, bringing the total number of monkeypox cases confirmed in England since 6 May to 9, with recent cases predominantly in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men.
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) May 18, 2022
From The Guardian:
Health authorities in Spain have issued an alert over a possible outbreak of monkeypox after 23 people showed symptoms compatible with the viral infection, which has already been detected in the UK and Portugal.
The health ministry cautioned that the suspected cases – all in the Madrid region – had yet to be confirmed, but said a nationwide alert had been issued “to guarantee a swift, coordinated and timely response”.
Madrid’s regional health department said the suspected cases were being analysed by the National Microbiology Centre to obtain a definitive diagnosis.
“Generally speaking, monkeypox is spread by respiratory transmission, but the characteristics of the 23 suspected cases point towards transmission through mucus during sexual relations,” it said in a statement.
“The people involved are doing well and are isolating at home, but a close eye is being kept on them in case they need hospital treatment.”
Fernando Simón, an epidemiologist who heads Spain’s health emergencies centre, said while it was unlikely that monkeypox would spread significantly, “that can’t be ruled out”.
Euronews added:
Portuguese health authorities on Wednesday confirmed five cases of monkeypox – a rare viral infection related to smallpox – in young men, marking an unusual outbreak in Europe of a disease typically limited to Africa.
Portugal’s General Directorate for Health added it was investigating another 15 suspected cases and that all were identified this month around the capital Lisbon.
All the Portuguese cases involve men, most of them young, authorities said.
They have skin lesions and were reported to be in stable condition. Authorities did not say if the men had a history of travel to Africa or any links with recent cases in Britain or elsewhere.
British health authorities said on Monday they had identified four cases of monkeypox infections in London among gay and bisexual men, bringing the total to seven.
Notice how monkeypox is related to smallpox.
I caught this bit of information regarding smallpox vaccines possibly used for monkeypox.
PS-smallpox vaccine works against monkeypox, though most people 50 and below haven't had it (because smallpox was eradicated).https://t.co/2P7PPOVgmG
— Aris Katzourakis (@ArisKatzourakis) May 18, 2022
And there it is https://t.co/Fci20CCo93
— DrKathrynPhD- typer of typos (@KathMLee1) May 18, 2022
The CDC has this page about monkeypox and smallpox vaccine guidance.
When properly administered before exposure to monkeypox vaccines are effective at protecting people against monkeypox.
ACAM200 and JYNNEOSTM (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex) are the two currently licensed vaccines in the United States to prevent smallpox. JYNNEOS is also licensed specifically to prevent monkeypox.
ACAM2000 is administered as a live virus preparation that is inoculated into the skin by pricking the skin surface. Following a successful inoculation, a lesion will develop at the site of the vaccination. The virus growing at the site of this inoculation lesion can be spread to other parts of the body or even to other people. Individuals who receive vaccination with ACAM2000 must take precautions to prevent the spread of the vaccine virus.
JYNNEOSTM is administered as a live virus that is non-replicating. It is administered as two subcutaneous injections four weeks apart. There is no visible “take” and as a result, no risk for spread to other parts of the body or other people. People who receive JYNNEOS TM are not considered vaccinated until they receive both doses of the vaccine.
There’s also a smallpox vaccine newcomer called Tembexa.
If the FDA decides that the smallpox newcomer Tembexa is appropriate for monkeypox, there's a very alarming finding. Low sperm count that can affect your ability to conceive children https://t.co/DbFN22tUBd pic.twitter.com/nvuLude1Pw
— DrKathrynPhD- typer of typos (@KathMLee1) May 18, 2022
Per Fierce Pharma:
Emergent BioSolutions, already flush with products against public health threats like anthrax attacks and opioid overdoses, is expanding its arsenal of medical countermeasures by scooping up global rights to smallpox newcomer Tembexa.
Emergent will furnish developer Chimerix with $225 million in upfront cash plus upward of $100 million in milestone payments for worldwide rights to the med, also known as brincidofovir. The drug last summer snagged FDA approval as the first antiviral cleared to treat smallpox regardless of a patient’s age.The purchase is contingent on Chimerix striking a procurement pact with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). After the deal closes, Emergent would be on the hook to deliver the first Tembexa shipment to the country’s Strategic National Stockpile.
The Chimerix-BARDA order could come this month or next, Emergent noted. The government agency in December issued a request for proposal to get its hands on up to 1.7 million treatment courses of the drug.
Smallpox remains a serious health threat at home and abroad, HHS recently noted. Despite the disease’s eradication in the 1970s, there’s concern that the variola virus could resurface, either through accidental release or as a bioweapon, Emergent pointed out.
Accidental release or used as a bioweapon?
Didn’t Bill Gates warn us about smallpox used as a bioweapon?
Nefarious motiveshttps://t.co/cE6EkoeJML pic.twitter.com/89zt2YHxqa
— DrKathrynPhD- typer of typos (@KathMLee1) May 18, 2022
More info on Gates’s smallpox bioweapon warnings below:
Monkeypox is a relative of smallpox, a disease that was eradicated in 1980, but is less transmissible, causes milder symptoms and is less deadly.
Early symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and chills.
A rash that can look like chickenpox or syphilis can also develop and spread from the face to other parts of the body, including the genitals.
The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks and symptoms can appear anywhere from five to 21 days after infection.
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